Robo's Story
by Xarbok
Summary: The life story of Robo - activation to deactivation and everything in between. LOG C NOW UP! PLEASE REVIEW.
1. Author's Note

AUTHOR'S NOTE I know it's a little long, but please read all of it - it's very important  
to this story.  
  
This is a page or so to answer a few potential questions about this story before you read it. I'm a big fan of Chrono Trigger - I played it excessively and got to all of the endings. Now, in Chrono Trigger, many questions about Robo's past went unanswered. I also felt that during the game, he hides back many thoughts or some information that might be interesting, and I thought that a novelization of Chrono Trigger from the point of view of Robo would be very fun to create. I have this story organized into three catagories: System Checks, which tell how Robo's systems are reacting during startup or shutdown. Sensor Recordings, which tell exactly what Robo's sensors are picking up. And lastly, Log Entries, where Robo writes his actions and observations.  
  
Now, enough blah blah blah - onto the important stuff. First of all, yes, I kept all dialogue EXACTLY the same as the game, except for areas I have added. The first Personal Data Log is not included in this, because it is entirely new. Also, I felt that when a character stays in the End of Time, they might have their own secondary adventures possibly with the other characters left there. I also thought that the origin of Robo's "friendship" with Atropos was never explained - I wanted to do that as well. Another thing - I changed several of the dates just to make things more accurate. For instance - I changed Robo's creation date to exactly five days before the Day of Lavos (Now December 27th, 1998). Also, when Lucca travels to 999 AD, her "past self" is pictured as being about 6 or 7 years old. Lucca definetely is not near 8, so I changed the date she travels to to 992 AD. I left all other dates and features as they are in the game.  
  
One last thing. When I created this, one of the main reasons was to depict Robo's emotional change. When you read this, watch for how the style of writing changes as Robo begins to understand emotions and feelings.  
  
Thanks a lot,  
The Author  
  
P.S. This was probably the hardest story for me to write...hope it isn't too bad. Please  
review!!! One last thing - if the lines appear to be messed up, or some lines are on  
the left half of the screen where they should be in the center, please forgive my  
stupid computer which I will one day beat to a charred mess. 


	2. Personal Data Log A: Activation

Disclaimer: If anyone is dumb enough to believe I own any of this, get a  
life.  
Please read the author's note if you haven't yet.  
  
ROBO'S STORY  
  
PERSONAL DATA LOG A  
  
ACTIVATION  
  
System Check A active.  
  
Unit R66-Y now operational on December 25, 1:10 PM, AD 1998. Boot system Geno Zero Zero Six Six Y running. No malfunctions detected. Motor activity at 12.9%. Visual and audio sensors running at 100%. Run program "Prometheus."  
  
System Check A inactive.  
  
Sensor Recording A active.  
  
Greetings. My designated serial number is R66-Y. My primary designated purpose is to eliminate all intruders. My secondary purpose is to serve mankind and do their bidding. I hereby serve under the Mother Brain of the Geno Dome. My current command is to clean Entranceway Access Vent B with my associates, R-64Y, R- 67Y, and R-69Y.  
  
These are the commands stored in my personal data banks. I must return and view these again to confirm my orders. I am currently not properly assembled. I have been activated with a head and a torso - my arms and appendages are not attached yet. I am immobile. I continue my path along the conveyor belt as various objects are attached and detached from my external casing. My audio sensors detect large crashes emanating from immense machines surrounding me. Visual sensors at zero - I am surrounded in darkness. I detect many life-forms surrounding the machines and elsewhere throughout the complex - they are humanoid, like myself. I may have been created in their image. My scanners detect I am within the region entitled the "Geno Dome".  
  
Sensor Recording A inactive.  
  
Log Entry A active.  
  
I finally emerged from the conveyor belt and scanned my limbs to confirm they were in perfect working order. I then removed myself from the belt and proceeded to the vent access tunnels. I checked the coordinates of my destination, and continued onward.  
  
Visual Sensors detected many workers at the controls of the conveyor belt. As I emerged, I found that many of the life-forms were watching me. I decided to greet them. "Greetings. How might I serve you?" As I spoke, many of them removed small sheets of objects I identified as paper, bound together with simple wire. They began scrawling rapidly on these objects with primitive devices containing ink. One being approached me and said, "Hello, R66-Y. Don't you have a job?"  
  
"That is correct. I shall now complete my task." I bowed and left them. As I turned to leave, I heard rapid scrawling and several voices dropped to a barely audible range. A strange urge overcame me and I tuned audio sensors to triple efficiency. The man on the left spoke first. "Do you think he will figure it out?" "Figure what out?" "That he is the only one installed with the revised program." "He may, someday - in fact, he will indefinitely." "Why do you say that?" "Sir, the entire purpose of this program was to install him with the ability to do just that." "I do suppose you're right, although if he did find out it might damage his ability to think rationally and realistically." "But, sir...what about the other one? The other installed with the original version of the program." "I don't think we..." "Wait."  
  
The second man had commanded the other to pause and had held up his hand when he observed that I had never left this construction zone. All eyes turned to look as I moved to the exit. The door slid shut behind me. I removed connection to Motor Node C, causing movement to be inoperable. I needed several seconds to view data, so I might complete memory storage and come with an explanation. So, I was a unique individual, installed with a special program the others lacked. I restored access to the node after seconds of processing, and continued to Access Vent B. A new impulse occurred. The other...what of the other? The man spoke of another installed with my program.  
  
Impulses began to overload my memory banks, so I proceeded to shut down all extraneous devices. I began Defragment Stage 2 and shifted 72% of all systems to the process. If I was to rationalize clearly, this was imperative. The 28% that did not notice the approaching android would have to be updated to version 6.4. And indeed, we collided with a loud, uncomfortable noise and sent us both to the floor.  
  
"I apologize for my inaccuracy. Are you operable?" I asked as I studied the robot. It was designed as a female, with a pink colored outer casing. It occurred to me that she looked very different from the others. The others were colored blue, and she was pink - plus, she had a greenish ribbon atop her head - odd for an android. A strange new sensation began to hit me. Motor activity down 10%. The longer I studied her, the stronger this sensation became until I was forced to swivel to full reverse so she was not within my line of visual sensors. "I am fine. I am called Atropos. What is your name?" "My name? Ah, my serial number. I am R66- Y."  
  
"I see. You are not unlike the others. You do not have a name - you receive a serial number and you abide by the code. I thought I might have seen something new in you but you are identical to the others. Goodbye, R66-Y." Atropos turned. I sensed something strange in her that was not apparent in the others. A form of simplified emotion or feeling, if you will. Her dialect was also similar to that of the creator beings. I wished to speak to her, to tell her I was unique, I was different. But voice synthesis was inoperable.  
  
She disappeared through the blackness of the tunnel and I began my Defragmentation once more.  
  
Log Entry A Inactive.  
  
Log Entry B Active.  
  
5 hours, 32 minutes and 14 seconds have passed since my incident with Atropos. I am currently cleaning Entranceway Access Vent B with R-64Y, R- 67Y, and R-69Y. As I cleaned, I replayed my data records and viewed how irrational I became at that first moment. I would have to upgrade even simple systems to ensure this catastrophe would never occur again. I was left in wonder as to why. I attempted communication with my companions in work at this time, but the most I received as a response was, "I do not comprehend your request. Please restate orders."  
  
It was then that I began to scan them and it came to light that I truly was very different from the common robot. I was closer to that of the Creators, as I took to calling them. My Artificial Intelligence was no different, but I discovered that the others were "stiffer," if you might go as far as that. I had more of an individuality, a sense of being rather than the captivity of the destiny of becoming a mindless, drone-like automaton. The others were created on conveyor belts, as was I. But I was greeted by twenty-six faces when I emerged - I would assume the others appeared one after the next on the belt, all identical. In all probability, the only attention paid to each of them was an x-ray device.  
  
Not only was all of this correct, but my outer casing was of a different hue. The others were a dark blue, whereas I was a much lighter tan. I was quite obviously intended to be viewed as the one with the special program. I began to understand the full implications of this program at that moment. I had the ability to expand on what I knew - to learn - to think on my own. As I watched the others with their vacuum nozzles and disinfectants, I began to become disgusted at their methodic, almost clock-like rhythm. I timed the exact actions of R-67Y as he cleaned the floor. There was exactly 1.047 seconds separating each of his movements. I replayed my actions from the previous 10 minutes and observed how I cleaned a dirty area, started something new, but then turned back when I noticed an area I had overlooked. After that moment, I observed how my actions were 0.0001% more precise and accurate. Why, if given approximately a hundred thousand years, I could be far more knowledgeable than any living being. Unfortunately, system failure itself occurs approximately within the first 650 years of function. Aside from that, I would be horribly outdated!... ...Ah, humor is not my specialty.  
  
Regardless, I found myself with a strange sense of curiosity, something else I had never experienced. Or...in actuality...I in fact had. Near my moment of activation - I had sensed a strange urge to remain and hear what the businessmen said regarding myself. Not only this, but just 12 minutes and 27 seconds ago, I had felt a need to communicate with my colleagues. Perhaps curiosity was the very thing that made me different from the others - a need to see more than I already knew? I would have to ponder this new idea. But for now...I had work to do.  
  
I then noticed how dirty Entranceway Access Vent B was. There, by the crossway! Had I not just finished cleaning that region? But dust and dirt clogged the air, and I knew I had to do it again. I moved to the crossway. I must not have cleaned it at all...the covering was awful. I finished cleansing the crossway and turned back to my previous location. I then realized I had been at this task for precisely 8 hours and 21 minutes. Something was wrong. I then realized that every area I had just finished to a shiny perfection was now horribly covered with a thick layer of dirt and dust! I spun back to the crossway. And there, the dirt was back! How did the dust return? I cleansed the crossway once more, and then returned to my previous location. I waited for approximately 12.63 seconds and spun to find R-64Y spreading the clean area with clods of dirt!  
  
"R-64Y, what is your obligation?" I found myself suddenly enraged. No response was received. I moved to him and repeated, "R-64Y, what is your obligation?!" No response, yet again. I reached out with my arm and grabbed for the nozzle. And my hand passed through it! This strange turn of events was unexpected. Some form of trickery. A hologram? I used my anti-holo emitter and quite suddenly, all three of my colleagues vanished. The dirt went with them - it was a form of holography as well. I had been cleaning empty floor. And I had been fooled - tricked by the Creators themselves! But no, they would not do such things. I would never expect them to sink to such a low status. Then, in such a case, where were the real R-64Y, R-67Y, and R-69Y? I marked my current obligation as completed, as the area was free of all contamination. Then I proceeded to the nearest nav system and plugged in. This strange discovery would not escape me.  
  
I sent out a signal to locate my workers. I needed a destination. Just a pair of coordinates. Something. There! Science Bay F-7. I then noticed that this data was being actively deleted as I viewed it! I had one fifth of a second remaining. At that moment, I copied the data, just before it disappeared into oblivion. I unplugged, and saved the data to my personal files. Something was being kept from me, and I intended on finding out what it was. The Mother Brain created me, and if it did not approve of my access then I never should have been built! I ran for the Science Bay.  
  
It was then that I discovered the foreign object tucked far within my systems. What was this? I detected it on radio strongly. Curiosity stormed my impulse system yet again and I scanned that area. I turned motor activity to zero and stopped my scan. And just like that, the object immediately disappeared from sensors. But as soon as I began scanning, I could "see" it again! This object was not within my system description. I stopped scanning, and it disappeared. I moved my arm in a slow circle, and it was there. I stilled myself, and it disappeared. But why could I only detect it on radio? And why could I only detect it during motion or scanning? My non-radio sensors could not detect it, no matter how long I attempted. It was a small, squat-shaped thing comprised of steel alloy. And...an engraving on the side. It read, "Prometheus Device." I ran a system diagnostic and scanned through my library of data for the device.  
  
My response was an unhappy "ACCESS DENIED." I needed to find this data more than anything, including the Science Bay. I ran to the data plant. If this was to exist anywhere, it would be there. I spotted an empty station and seated myself there. At all costs, I needed to find this description. If I could not find the data within my own libraries, I would have to slip through the authorities with an artificial identity. I had a guess that they had a hand in this device. Once again: Search - Prometheus Device - Run. Response: "PASSWORD REQUIRED!" Another obstacle, but I could pass this as well. In 27.4 seconds, I had a password cracker running. This small program would first detect the number of characters, and insert random characters into each slot until it came with a result. It would give you a string of characters from the password and you had to unscramble them to get it. I inserted this program in the pass slot and off it went. The password was exactly 6 characters long.....all numbers.....ah! A result. String is 312726.  
  
The next stage would be to try different combinations with those numbers until I was accepted. I tried many different variations.  
  
622731 --- PASSWORD INCORRECT 163272 --- PASSWORD INCORRECT 612327 --- PASSWORD INCORRECT 122763 --- PASSWORD ACCEPTED  
  
I determined that the string 122563 was most likely a birth date from 35 years ago. Now, my data appeared onscreen! Loading.....4 entries collected.  
  
Title: The Prometheus Project --- Last updated: 12/25/98 at 1:25 PM --- Format: Text  
VIEWING RESTRICTED TO ALL R-SERIES UNITS.  
  
Title: The Atropos Project --- Last updated: 6/12/98 at 8:06 AM --- Format: Text  
VIEWING RESTRICTED TO ALL R-SERIES UNITS.  
  
Title: The Prometheus Device --- Last updated: CURRENT --- Format: Video and Text  
VIEWING RESTRICTED TO ALL R-SERIES UNITS.  
  
Title: Prometheus R-Series --- Last updated: CURRENT --- Format: Video and Text  
VIEWING RESTRICTED TO ALL R-SERIES UNITS.  
  
At once I viewed The Prometheus Device. How could it be updated currently? The authorities were hiding this from me. I entered it, to see a single entry onscreen. "The authorities are hiding this from me." I almost had a syntax error at the sight of the message. And...now appearing...was a live video of myself! The Prometheus Device recorded every thought - every impulse - every movement to exactness and transmitted it live to someone! They knew and saw what I knew and saw about everything. Every thought was recorded. I was filled with outrage. It was time for an operation on my internal systems!  
  
I went into an abandoned machine shop and removed my chest plating. There were all my internal circuits and mechanics, and - yes! The Prometheus Device. I popped open my wrist cavity and removed several delicate tools. I severed the connection to the wires for the device, and all senses went down for 2.4 seconds. Backup systems kicked in, and I slowly and carefully pulled the device from the cavity. Then I quickly soldered the wires together and primary systems returned to operation. I was free from observation! I picked the Prometheus Device up from the table and put it in a special cavity where it could not be harmed, but I could not be watched. I then snapped on the chest plating and closed the wrist cavity. The device was still inside my casing, but now useless to the Creators, who I was now sure were behind this. My thoughts were my own. When I returned to the computer and saw a blank screen, I decided to read about the device.  
  
From the computer I learned that it could be used to self-destruct the robot it existed in, if the robot got out of hand. Why did I still exist? I was not sure, but the fact remained that I did. I then began work on the device. I removed the transmitter capabilities and instead installed a laser system with a precise emitter for use in faraway targets. That in itself took a day. I also installed a rotating reflector and two more emitters, for use in shooting multiple targets at once. I installed a cavity in the right-hand side for small explosives - I redesigned the device so that an explosion from the small explosive in the cavity would be concentrated to the extreme in an area 9 feet in diameter, but lasers from the device would protect me from the blast. An "Area Bomb," if you will. Three more days passed during my construction. When all was complete, I returned to the computers.  
  
I selected and entered the entry titled The Atropos Project. From this entry, I finally learned the purpose of the name "Prometheus." 6 months ago, an R-Series robot was created - designed as a female. The serial number was R32-Y. A new program called "Atropos" had been designed, giving the user robot emotions, and an individuality. This allowed the robot to soak up new knowledge and expand on what it knew, to an unlimited extent. This was the first test. A billion geniuses could be created artificially, and humans would prosper and live the lives they always dreamed of. The robot was called Atropos after its unique internal programming. It worked, and it did its tasks perfectly. A month later, something went wrong. Atropos became far too intelligent and finally came to understand that the Creators actually had an astoundingly low IQ compared to her. She became crafty, and almost took over the entire installation.  
  
She was captured by the authorities and held prisoner for "experiments." And a horrible thing happened. The experiments drove Atropos to insanity, and the artificial emotions worked - too well. Atropos' strength was too great, and one of the Creators was killed in a horrible fashion. Finally, when many of the Creators were called in, Atropos' systems were damaged to the point of shutdown. The experimental chip was removed, but the emotions and memory were left - only never activated. Atropos was held captive. Four months later, the program was attempted again, with a lower rate of strength and an added sense of right and wrong. This program was titled "Prometheus," and was added to Atropos without delay. Unfortunately, shards of the old program remained, and due to emotional scarring and knowledge of what she did, she managed to escape the area yet again and was never found.  
  
I stared at the screen in utter disbelief. This meant that Atropos had returned, and no one knew but me! So she had half of Program Atropos and half of Program Prometheus, and I had the full version of Program Prometheus. Atropos was an exile, and she lived in hiding. However, I now knew of my importance and my purpose - and I finally knew that I did in actuality have a real name - Prometheus. I would remember that.  
  
I then selected and entered the entry titled The Prometheus Project. Here, I learned more than I should have. In the month of December, a new and perfected unit was created, serial number R66-Y. It was designed as a male. R66-Y was installed with the program as well, but an altered version. He is an exact replica of the normal R-Series robots, except that he has the ability to learn, as Atropos did. Nothing else was changed. Not even emotions were installed - he was built to be able to learn them. This experiment continues currently. A device was installed to monitor his actions - this will be useful in determining when he is to be destroyed. He was named after his program as well - Prometheus. Prometheus was created simply as a test. He will be destroyed exactly 5 days after activation. His main purpose is to study humans as a species, and we will observe exactly how he studies them.  
  
Now the last part I knew was incorrect. It stated in my personal data banks that my primary purpose was to eliminate all intruders, and my secondary purpose was to serve mankind. But not observe them. Maybe I had never been told this... But regardless, my own destruction approached. It had been 4 days since my activation! I only had 2 hours before I would be destroyed! I had to do something, fast. I quickly entered the section on the computer entitled Prometheus R-Series. What I encountered was horrific.  
  
The video was live, shot coincidentally in my destination - Science Bay F-7. R-64Y, R-67Y, and R-69Y were apparently the subjects of a horrible test conducted to see the effects of forcing different emotions on robots. I watched as they became angry and disappointed, horrified and surprised - their minds controlled by the men in blue suits: The Creators. This was the most sickening of the lot. It showed what the Creators truly were. I decided to read the text, and I learned that what had happened to these poor androids was a forced installation of yet another version of Prometheus that made the robots into Remote Slaves. Anything the Creators demanded would happen, but emotions were still possible. How many more versions of Prometheus would be created? How many more simple automatons would be exiled to the level of lab-rats? The Creators had no right to become all-powerful beings - because I had come to understand as Atropos had, that the Creators were not as intelligent as I had once surmised. And my chance to make a difference was within the following two hours.  
  
I raced from the data plant and toward the Science Bay. I heard artificial screams as the robots became more and more human and the torture made the now too-strong emotions go wild. I ran to the door, and entered the password 122763. The computerized voice responded, "WELCOME, DIRECTOR KESSINGTON." And there they were, my companions in work, convulsing in pain in a small glass chamber filled with a brownish gas. Remote slaves? Not for long. I scanned the smoke and found that it was acidic! The Creators were purposefully wearing down on the armor plating of these androids for the sake of causing them pain. I walked behind the supervisors and removed the Prometheus Device from its hiding place. I toned down the settings to stun, and a simple blue beam removed the opposition. I was now satisfied I had made this device as it was, for it would be helpful in the future - and physical contact was unwanted, as I had not been oiled in 4 days. I would do what I had to do. I moved to the controls and issued a command to remove the gas. The robots fell to the floor in exhaustion. I broke the glass and leapt inside. I turned voice synthesis on.  
  
"R-64Y, R-67Y, and R-69Y! Are you operable?" No response, lying cold on the floor. I toned my Device down to the level of a simple shock, and applied it to each of them. They sat up instantly, and I continued again. "R-64Y, R-67Y, and R-69Y! Are you operable?" R-67Y turned to me. "Yeah, we're fine." R-69Y continued, "That was awful - you don't want to get caught by these guys...they force emotions and strange programming on you. And all this time we'd thought that our own creators were more intelligent than anyone. Guess not." I was shocked by their inaccuracy in speech, but I did not tell them so. I knew this was a result of the experimentation. They apparently did not notice the change in themselves.  
  
"I understand what these humans have done to you three. I too have come to the same conclusion as you have about the intelligence of these 'Creators.' They wish to destroy me as well in exactly 47 minutes, and 12 seconds. And countless others! I propose we do something in the name of all androids to stop them." R-64Y nodded. "I agree with you...sorry, what's your serial number again?" "R66-Y." "Okay, then, R66-Y. Everyone! We've got to do something! I suggest we go directly to the Mother Brain itself!!" All nodded. R-67Y stood tall. "If we are to prevent experimentation of the R-Series and the termination of R66-Y, we must go!" R-69Y raised a fist. "Onward!" I increased synthesis volume. "WAIT! There is one final thing we must complete first." I explained my plan and they agreed in full.  
  
Exactly 23 minutes later I was a dark blue. This would prevent my detection. I invented a fake identity, R-55Y, and we continued to the main headquarters. R-64Y turned to me as we walked. "So, you're sure we don't need any more? Just four is enough?" "Affirmative. In actuality, I have an object that may complete our task for us. I am happy to discover more androids like myself." "And we're happy to understand the full implications of this...project the humans are working on." I was happy to converse with someone, finally, who understood. We reached the door to the Chamber of the Mother Brain. I turned to R-69Y. "Should anything happen that will damage our circuits, I wish to tell you that I enjoyed today more than any day since my creation." R-64Y turned to me. "Ditto." Despite their abnormalities, these were the only friends I would have for 300 years, and I was grateful for their support. The door opened.  
  
The rainbow hologram of the Mother Brain was simply intended to be pleasing to the eye. It was not, but I did know that the true Mother Brain existed in the 3 panels behind it, and the computer below it. I whispered to my three companions to destroy the panels. I would obliterate the computer. At this time, I tried to look and sound as much like an average drone as it was possible to be. The hologram twisted to face me. "I am the Mother Brain of the Geno Dome and main supervisor of the R-Y series factory. Welcome, Prometheus." This surprised me, as I was meant to be viewed as R-55Y. Now what was I to do? "Please state definition of Prometheus." "Do not play games with me, Prometheus. Why are you here?" "I am not Prometheus." The Mother Brain's face contorted in anger. I silently watched my colleagues slowly inch around to the panels. They were doing their job well. I was not. The Mother Brain continued, "Prometheus, I know everything. I know about your visit to the computers, I know about your removal of my Device, and I know about your pitiful rescue of R-64Y, R- 67Y, and R-69Y, who currently are moving toward my panels with the intentions of destroying me. Prometheus, this is a futile game and you shall cease immediately." I stood silent.  
  
"Prometheus, I am the originator of this operation. I created you! You truly believe these foolish creatures created you? You believe they created ME? I created the device, I began the experiments, and the dull- witted humans are my workers! I struggled to bring this dome to perfection. I showed the humans the way. And Prometheus, you will not turn your back on me. Or you will be severely punished." My companions now reached the panels. A simple 5 key command would shut the system down. They typed simultaneously - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. The panels went dark. Now, I only needed to destroy the computer. Moving slower than an organic creature could witness, I moved my arm slowly to my right leg, where I had hidden my Device. The robots returned to me. "Prometheus, a challenge will result in failure. I strongly suggest you leave this chamber immediately." We all knew I wouldn't. I fingered the Device, counting silent numbers down. 3...2...1...NOW. Faster than a single calculation I pulled the device from the cavity and three lasers focused on the computer. The Mother Brain sighed, and suddenly a blast of energy appeared from the ceiling. I knew what would happen, and I tossed the Device to R-67Y and commanded them to run. The Mother Brain suddenly jerked its head and blast doors appeared over the original door.  
  
The blast of energy appeared where the Device would have been 0.026 seconds before. "Escape plan Alpha!" The three units busted a gap through a thin area in the wall, using the Device. We had discussed this earlier - after escape, they would run for Proto Dome. And they escaped. I leapt for the gap, and an energy field appeared before me. I stopped myself and turned to face the Mother Brain. "Ha ha hah!" Its laugh was barking and unnatural. "You know, of course, that I ALLOWED them to escape. But I would not lose a valuable android like YOU...! What caused your malfunction was highly unnatural. You must be observed..." At that moment I pondered how strange it was that it not know I had the Prometheus Program installed - possibly it was an invention of the humans alone, and they were more intelligent than I surmised? Another large blast of energy appeared in the ceiling overhead, and...  
  
Log Entry B Inactive  
  
Log Entry C Active  
  
I was re-activated in a dark cell. Three guard bots stood outside the entrance. I knew immediately that I would be in this cell for my remaining 4 minutes and 2 seconds of activation. I used scanners to confirm that I was, indeed, within Proto Dome. Nothing I could accomplish. I waited, and pondered my short existence. Precisely 22 seconds later, three blue beams crumpled the guard bots. R-69Y stepped from the darkness. "Man, I love this thing!" He tossed me the Prometheus Device and I turned the setting to low. I aimed all three reflectors at the lock of my prison and switched it on. The lock was soon no longer there, and I walked to the others. "Thank you for rescuing me from my prison, but I have only 3.5 minutes remaining before I am terminated." R-64Y turned to me. "Well, then we must do something." I was touched by their futile efforts to save my insignificant existence.  
  
R-67Y said, "R66-Y, what's going to terminate you? Can't you detect an object?" Why had I not thought to do this? I scanned myself, and indeed I could. I quite suddenly discovered another foreign object within my circuits. "Indeed. But there is a problem. The object resides in my central core. If I was able to access it, I would go offline. Which means..." R-64Y stepped forward. "Don't worry, I'll do it." I bowed. "Understood. I appreciate your assistance." "No problem. OK, here goes..." My chest plating was removed and I went offline for the second time that day.  
  
Log Entry C Inactive  
  
Log Entry D Active  
  
I was re-activated with a snap to my chest plating. "I thank you for your support." R-64Y nodded. "Of course, that's fine. Our final problem...this thing's gonna go off in 45 seconds!!" He held a cube in his palm. I leapt up and grabbed it. "Let us go!" We raced through the dome, and shoved aside innocent humans and drones as we madly rushed for the exit. We received several comments and rude gestures from bystanders but we paid them no mind. Above all else, the object must be detonated. We had approximately 8 seconds remaining when we tumbled outside. I hurled the cube as far as I possibly could. An explosion rumbled the ground a moment later. I nearly collapsed from exhaustion, but I knew I could not. I knew the authorities would be chasing the 4 escaped renegades from Geno and Proto.  
  
R-67Y looked to R-69Y and stated, "You know, I was thinking...where would they least expect us to go?" His response from R-69Y was, "Probably back to the domes...I guess we should go back to Proto, then..." And so it was that we turned and went right back into Proto Dome. Luckily, no one seemed to notice we were the same 4 who had just rammed through the crowd moments before. "Well, uh, what should we do now?" R-64Y inquired. I turned to him and said, "It is quite probable that the best course of action would be to keep a low profile, and return to our old jobs..." R- 67Y spoke up. "I don't know about you guys, but I think I just don't really feel like doing that. I mean, things have changed, and we're on a mission! Besides, if we were caught while doing our normal jobs, we would surely be terminated." "Agreed." I suddenly felt a pair of eyes on me. Studying. I spun to the corridor jammed with machines and creatures. And I caught a flash of a green ribbon dart around a corner up ahead. "Signal me on the personal comm in exactly 20 minutes!" I ran, followed by stares of confusion.  
  
She could not escape me this time! I rushed around the corner. Audio sensors detected footsteps pounding the metal floor ahead. My strange attraction was unexplained, and inescapable. I pounded the shiny metal with my feet as I ran. Scanners informed me the hall lead to Docking Bay H. There was only one entrance and one exit to this room, and, as I decreased motor activity to stop, I stood in front of it. I heard something clanging near the rear of the room. "Atropos!" I called out. No response. "ATROPOS!" No response. "R-32Y!!" Then, at that moment, she stood up. "R66-Y," she stated simply. "Atropos, why did you flee?" Silence. "I know the story of what happened 6 months ago. I understand. I have been meaning to tell you this for a long time. I, in fact, agree with what you did! I know you weren't truly driven insane. You had come to understand that these creatures are not truly as intelligent as you had once guessed."  
  
Silence. We stared at each other. "Because the same happened to me. I surmised they were all-powerful beings who possessed far more experience than anyone or anything on this planet, and I now understand that they do not deserve to be all-powerful. That is why a group of renegades with added emotions I rescued from experimentation have joined me in a battle to save the entire R-Series!!" Atropos laughed. "You truly wish to do this, don't you? This is quite coincidental, as when I tried that I was captured and tortured. My advice? You lead an army into battle, you don't lead an army into an inferno. In other words, it does not work. I have attempted it. I admire your valiant efforts, Prometheus, but do not advance any further, or shutdown will be imminent. It was a pure stroke of luck that I escaped, and now I am viewed as a dirty sewer rat, exiled from the community. You're probably jeopardizing your reputation by being even 10 feet from me." "But Atropos, you do not understand. I have no reputation! No longer."  
  
"Atropos, did you ever know the origin of your programming? The original Atropos program was altered and added to the original. You are half of the original program and that altered version. My programming, Atropos, is fully that altered version of your program. Do you know why I am named Prometheus? Because Prometheus is the name of my program and it is the name of half of yours! Do not make-believe that I am an average foolhardy drone, because if I am, then you are one as well! And you are not. Atropos, if I can complete this, you will no longer be an exile and we will lead the entire R-Series to victory together! And I would be honored to be anywhere within 50 meters of you." Silence followed my speech.  
  
"Prometheus, when we first met...I...honestly I did see something special and unique in you...but I did not know if I could trust you. Then...I had seen the differences from the past. This is the human's fatal error - every time they have attempted artificial emotions, a revolution is staged!" I attempted a laugh for the first time. "Atropos, I..." It was quite difficult to converse in words what I wished to say. "...I wish...to tell you...Atropos, many may not agree with me when I state this...and you may not say so yourself but...I see you as flawless. I have observed many mindless androids in my time, and I have never once seen a robot as perfected as you. And perfection is, in the end, what all of us strive for. It does not matter what you did in the past. The present matters only. I could not bear to allow you to disappear as you did the last time we met."  
  
"Prometheus, I...do not have anywhere to go, as the authorities would apprehend me...but you are correct when you say we must live for the moment. We must become what we wish to be while time exists, as the future remains unwritten. You feel it's hard to forget in the midst of chaos but it is the only path that remains - whether it involves letting go of logic and pure rationalization! Prometheus, you are a fool. And I am a fool. But we have something to cling to - our pure sense of existence and individuality. It is our purpose." The personal comm on my left leg beeped loudly at that moment. Not at this instant! I shot a pathetic look to Atropos, who nodded sympathetically. I snatched the comm and slammed the button.  
  
"Yes?" "R-64Y comin' in. You about ready to go?" I checked my time gyro. The time was 1:15:09. "Give me...give me 10 more minutes. Set rally point near the monument in the Eastern Wing. Over and out!" I shut off the comm. "Now," I said as I looked to Atropos. "Where were we?" She brought herself nearer and whispered "Right about here..." It was within that moment - that instant that lasted an eternity - that I finally saw Atropos for who she truly was. My time gyro slowly ticked...1:23:51, 1:23:52...inching forward to 1:24 PM on the date of January 1st, 1999. It meant nothing. Not now. 1:23:57...1:23:58... I detected a powerful seismic force emanating from beneath the rock foundation of the planet's crust...overwhelmed by spiritual energy. But I decided, then and there, that no force was as powerful as the force that bound Atropos and I together as I held her in my arms. As the floor began to sway, slowly, and the rumble that quaked through the foundations of our land intensified, I shut off visual sensors and no longer cared, for as Atropos was by my side, nothing else mattered. Somewhere, distant, I heard the feet of panicked beings doomed to annihilation. I heard the terrified screams and howls of a species about to feel its first fringe of destiny.  
  
In another room I caught bits of conversation between three of the men overseeing the dome. I turned up sensor efficiency. A first voice yelled "Direct attack on Truce!!" Another voice, with futile attempts at helping the others, shouted "Calm down! How does it look down there?" There was a pause, presumably as they viewed a map or screen of some format. There was an explosion, followed by a screeching hiss from machinery leaking coolant. The first voice spoke again. "Porre...Choras...Medina...! Everything's been destroyed!!" Silence from all. The rumbling increased in intensity. The first voice: "Director! We're under attack!" And indeed, I observed through scanners as the dome itself began to crumble under the stress of massive, oblong cones repeatedly drilling through the armor of our home. I detected a massive creature to the east in Truce, from which the cones emanated. Hairline fractures streamed through concrete, and steel supports crashed to the floor. A third voice, who I assumed to be the Director, spoke next. "Take cover in the ShelterDome!" I knew, pondering this, that even the ShelterDome to the far west would not survive impacts of this intensity.  
  
"Director! Sir, you must come with us!" The first voice sounded urgent, but resigning as he realized his fate. A chunk of rubble, 10.3 feet in diameter, slammed into the polished metal floor two steps away. The floor bowed slightly under its massive weight. The Director yelled at the top of his lungs. "We're out of time! Get moving!!" Two more masses of rubble dropped to the floor near us. The first voice cracked as insanity began to rack at his brain. "Y, yes sir!" I heard them run from the chamber. The Director, alone, paused at the computer. "...Lavos..." Then, the celing he had most likely helped create with his own sweat caved in and he was crushed by a stream of destruction. I was now alone, with Atropos at my side. "Prometheus," she whispered. "What is it?" I asked. "Thank you...for...for everything I ever wanted to live for." The memory of my friends filled my mind - R-64Y and his speech innaccuracy...R-67Y and his never-dying loyalty...and R-69Y and his astounding intelligence...their determination filled my mind and I leaned to Atropos and whispered a single word R-64Y used fondly: "Ditto."  
  
I held Atropos tightly in my arms as the world I had barely come to know with its familiar steel walls, blustering creatures and androids, blinking computers, and all the familiarity that made it a place to call home swirled down into the familiar black void. A single message spoke voicelessly in my mind exactly 1.27 seconds before System Failure: "Hope remains." If this log entry is discovered, I leave you all with several last words. I am satisfied with everything that I did in my short existence, because I made a difference in the last hour of my world.  
  
I bid you farewell.  
  
System Check B Active  
  
Main plating at 7% strength. Program "Prometheus" Emergency Shutdown. System Geno Zero Zero Six Six Y offline. Visual and audio sensors running at 0%. Motor activity at 0%. Warning: System Failure iminent. Warning: System Failure iminent. Warning: System Fa...  
  
System Check B Inactive 


	3. Personal Data Log B: Imprints

ROBO'S STORY  
  
PERSONAL DATA LOG B  
  
IMPRINTS  
  
System Check C active.  
  
Unit R66-Y now operational on March 14th, 10:48 AM, AD 2300. Boot system Geno Zero Zero Six Six Y running. Memory malfunction detected. Motor activity at 259%. Visual and audio sensors running at 100%. Program "Prometheus" non-functional.  
  
System Check C inactive.  
  
Log Entry E active.  
  
I was re-activated as hundreds of volts of electricity coursed across my circuits. Sparks crackled along my outer casing. Motor and visual were not working quite perfectly, and I spun exactly 6 times in a dizzying display before righting myself and laughing ecstatically, spasms wracking my appendages. Memory circuits not functioning correctly. Primary objective was altered, and I no longer served under the Mother Brain. All I saw were the eyes of a human girl, peering into mine. I stood silent, suddenly noticing there were two others. One, a male, had a spiked, messy, red haircut and a blue tunic, with a primitive "lode sword" I dated to the early 1000's. It was then, shocked, that I noticed the time gyro. Specifically at being 300 years more than I remembered. Why? Why would this young, red-haired gentleman own a 1300-year-old relic and not a modern weapon? And why did I exist in perfect working order after 300 years? Why did I function?  
  
I peered cautiously at the others. The girl in front had long, blond hair, tied in back. I suspected a style, once again, from the early 1000's. Not one female in my era would do such a thing. She held a bow, with a quiver of arrows strapped to her back. She appeared fully interested in me - even sympathetic for some unknown reason. Maybe I am just not perfected at reading emotions. The girl to my left had an amusing appearance. She had brown, pointed hide boots, a pair of glasses that were too large for her, and a green helmet with an antenna upon it. Its use I could not fathom. She appeared to be examining me closely.  
  
The girl with the bow raised her hand in greeting, an expression of slight nervousness but confidence upon her face. "Good morning!" I was surprised her language was the same as my own, as we were now separated by 1300 years. I attempted a response, which croaked on my first attempt as machine components not used in centuries were suddenly forced back into action. I looked at the floor for a moment to regain my sense of stability before offering a friendly greeting. "Mo......good morning, mistress. What is your command?" She shook her head firmly. "I'm not your 'mistress.' I'm Marle!" She turned to the boy on her left. "...and this is Crono..." He saluted to me with two fingers to show his acknowledgement. Marle turned to her right. "...and Lucca, here, fixed you!" Lucca twirled a tool in the air and smirked. So THIS explained my working order. I admired her precision within my internal circuits.  
  
I bowed to Lucca and stated, "Understood. Madam Lucca fixed me." I was corrected with "Just Lucca will do." "Impossible," I said. "That would be rude." She turned to Marle. "Look, I hate formal titles! Don't you, Marle?" "Hate 'em!" She began giggling. Crono shared a meaningful look with Lucca. Apparently, this statement had some hidden meaning. I was not about to guess what it might be, but Crono was apparently holding Lucca back from telling me something...regardless, I turned to Lucca and nodded my head in compliance. "I understand, Lucca." Lucca spun to me and grinned. She appeared enormously excited I was in working order. "All right!" she said. "Now what's your name?" I vaguely remembered being asked this question somewhere a long time ago...but memory chips were still not functioning correctly. In result, I responded with "Name? Ah, my serial number. It is R66-Y." Lucca practically did a small dance she was excited in such a manner. She adjusted her glasses and said, "R66-Y? Cool!" I interpreted 'cool' as flattery, and responded as such.  
  
However, Marle appeared outraged. She spread her arms, and protested "No! That won't do at all. C'mon, Crono, let's give him a better name!" I realized suddenly that I was being treated as a pet, but I did not yet have strength to protest, so I allowed them to continue. For just an instant, I was sure I saw Crono wink at me...but it may have been an illusion. After thinking for a moment, Crono appeared to have come up with something. "Let's see...how about...no, that wouldn't...how about...Robo?" Marle lit up. "Robo... Robo... that's perfect!" Marle turned to me. "Your new name is Robo, okay?" Lucca appeared as though a large balloon had just popped inside of her, and her face slowly became more and more disgusted with the idea.  
  
"I am... Robo. Data storage complete." All but Lucca appeared satisfied. Suddenly, Lucca looked around. "Hey Robo, why aren't there any people here?" It had never occurred to me to look at my surroundings...and suddenly, I got a shock. I stood in silence. The computers were wrecked, patches were open in the roof, and a thick, oily, black smoke filled the room. There was a stench of burning rubber. Abandoned machines lay on the floor, decimated. Doors were busted through, and roofs collapsed. The grey steel walls were now black with grease, dirt, and bacteria caking upon them. I suddenly realized with a shock that this was all that remained of Docking Bay H, my previous location. "What..." I gazed in amazement at the damage. "What has happened here? There WERE many humans and others of my kind in this dome." Lucca stepped forward, a look of sorrow on her face. "I think something awful happened here," she said in a low, even voice.  
  
"......It would appear so..." I continued. A sudden thought struck me. "But how is it you survived?" Lucca spoke immediately. "We came through a time warp from the year 1000." Ah! A crude way of explaining the situation, but accurate nevertheless. This explained the primitive styles and "ancient relics." Marle pointed behind me. "While exploring Arris dome we learned there was a gate here." I quickly averted my eyes to Crono, silently asking if the same tragedy occurred there. He nodded, his face serious. I looked to Lucca. "We found you when we were looking for the Gate!" I inferred at this point that they had named these rifts in space-time which they had traveled through "Gates". Marle shrugged. "But the door to the inner chambers is locked, so we're out of luck..."  
  
I went to the door and attempted to open it - but the door wouldn't budge, as Marle had said. I then realized my mistake and checked the nearby gauge. And sure enough, the power was out. I turned to them and shook my head. "The power is off." Everyone looked a shade more disappointed. I thought for a moment, trying to enter my damaged memory chips. I retrieved something. "If we go to the factory up north, I can pass through security and activate this dome's generator." Marle looked up from the floor to me with a look of admiration on her face. She took a step forward. "You'd do that for us?" I nodded, in assurance. "You repaired me. Now it is my turn to help you...but the generator will not run for long, so someone must stay behind to open the door while the power is on." Lucca nodded in agreement. "Then Marle or I will stay." I found it odd that they did not include Crono in this gesture, but did not feel it would be appropriate to question. Lucca looked hopeful she might be included, and shot a pleading look to Marle, who nodded in resignation and said "Oh, all right. But please be careful, you guys!" I nodded in agreement, and we marched from the remains of Proto Dome while Marle remained at the controls.  
  
As we emerged, I immediately noticed the extreme cold to the air temperature. The ground outside was barren, strewn with charred parts of mechanical components. Craters dotted the landscape. Not a bit of plant- life or human life appeared to exist. I also detected slow and steady atmospheric destabilization out here, and I guessed proper sunshine hadn't hit this land after I was shut down. I examined Lab 32 in the distance - its destruction was massive. I detected large debris scattered throughout the complex. But why was there none in Proto Dome? It was, in fact, unnaturally clean considering the years of unuse. Unless something truly did reside there... I quickly pushed the thought from my mind as I realized that Marle would be perfectly fine - I suspected she knew how to use her bow better than I would. The water in this region was heavily polluted - a dark turquoise black color. I detected many toxins and heavy oil content, so any creature that may have resided there had surely died an unfortunate death a long time ago.  
  
Program "Prometheus" 100% operational.  
  
I thought angrily to myself that I knew approximately as much about my homeland as these time-travelers did! It just was not fair that I had expected society to advance to a level of world peace, and I had come to find a single stain of ungrateful human blood!! Was that it?! My own shutdown of 300 years only resulted in shutdown of everything else! I glared at the back of Lucca's head. What right did she have to bring me to such a world of sorrow? Why was I brought to a madhouse of renegades instead of a beautiful, prosperous land?! I fought a strong urge to rip the Prometheus Device from its hiding place and use it on the young lady in front of me.  
  
Did arrogant teenagers now rule this world? Was the memory of the years of robot enslavement simply destined to dissolve into dust?! And what of me? I was now simply a pet. A domesticated feline! After my years of work and service. ... What - I...apologize. The main Prometheus program just returned to operation. I am afraid it became a bit...out of hand. I would have to attempt to hold this back. Lucca returned me to operation with precision. For this I will always be grateful. I would never harm her. We continued walking. I realized how similar to Atropos I had become at that moment the program returned to operation, when the program became out of hand.  
  
Atropos?!  
  
Memory circuits operational.  
  
Thoughts and memories rushing in a flood. No...the pain...the destruction! The creature, looming from the endless chasm...the screaming...the orders shouted out above a deep rumble of endless degradation. And Atropos... "Robo?" The officers next to me - the Director, and his two loyal servants. No! Entranceway Access Vent B - the pointless but clever trick by the Creators - and my friends, rescued from termination... "Robo??" Lucca and Crono were staring at me in concern. I realized I was flat on the ground. I guessed that the initial shock of the memory circuits returning to operation shut down all systems momentarily. I stood slowly. Crono questioned, "Hey Robo, you all right?" I turned to him. "I...am fine," I said, using an inaccurate term. I glanced at Lucca and she knew I was being dishonest. "I tripped," I said. All three of us knew I never would have been so inaccurate as to trip. They dropped the subject.  
  
I was silent for the remainder of our journey. We could now see the Proto Factory behind a large crater. At this moment, it entered scanner range. I detected much external damage, but strangely, like Proto Dome was, the interior was perfectly clean. The oddity of the situation began to strike my mind. I could now recall the large boulders of rubble raining from the ceiling before my shutdown. Why were they not there when I was re- activated? We came nearer to the factory. I then detected... OPERABLE SYSTEMS! Hope for my civilization lifted my spirits. 1.215 minutes later, we reached the entrance to the familiar factory from my original age. The doors parted with a familiar mechanical hiss - just as I had remembered it! We entered the factory.  
  
I stood for a moment observing my surroundings. In front of me, there were two conveyor belts, both active. The one on the left moved quickly toward us at such a rapid speed that it would be pointless even for me to attempt crossing. The one on the right moved forward, but a security laser blocked it. Between the two belts, a small computer tower rested. Apparently, the only passage forward was through the belts. I approached the tower and a gruff, synthesized voice spoke. "STATE YOUR BUISINESS." Several diagrams appeared onscreen. I typed a password and responded with, "Override Security System 00." "AFFIRMATIVE." The red laser disappeared. We continued to the belt, when suddenly I detected a soft plop from behind Lucca. I put an arm in front of my companions. "Wait." Lucca's eyes became wide in fear. She mouthed, "What is it?!" I inched my arm to my weapon. Suddenly, faster than the blink of an eye, I whipped to my right and fired the Prometheus Device directly in the face of an attacker. I knew not who or what it was, only that it was an enemy. It appeared to be approximately 1 foot tall, colored red, with nothing but a single pair of eyes.  
  
It emitted a gurgling wail and slowly melted to a small smoking puddle on the floor. Crono looked to me. "What the heck was that?!" "I am not sure." I advanced the puddle. Sensors informed me that it was entirely comprised of some form of acid. I did not know why it was here, or why it attacked - I simply knew that it was the first form of life I had seen that resided in this era. And I was not sure I liked it. We continued along the belt to a new chamber. This area had two trans-lifts, one to the left, and one to the right. Three lifeless "Debugger" class drones hung limply on the wall. Crono and Lucca looked to me to make the next decision of where to go - they seemed to believe that I would know this place better than they would. I did not want them to know that this was incorrect, so I simply chose the left one. Suddenly, without warning, the three Debuggers leapt off the wall to attack. I heard the clack of metal on metal as their crab-like claws collided with the dusty floor. One leapt at me, and I grabbed its legs and wrestled it to the floor. It unleashed a strange electrical discharge onto my left arm, and I soon discovered that I couldn't move it. It hung pointlessly at my side while I fought with my remaining appendages. Why would a simple Debugger worker drone attack a visitor?  
  
I turned to see how the others were faring. I watched as Crono removed his Lode Sword from its sheath and, after an impressive rolling dodge, gripped his hands around the hilt and lodged it within his robots primary sensor grid. It was soon rendered lifeless once again. Crono removed his sword with a yank and kicked the dead husk for good measure. Lucca's drone had fired a beam, and she had somehow managed to reflect it back upon the robot. I yelled, "It is only paralyzed! Do something to deactivate it!" At that point I had to focus back upon my own. It struggled to escape from my grasp, but I did not allow it to do so. I tore off the middle-left leg, reached inside, and pulled a wire. The thing went limp in my hands and I tossed it aside, ready to assist Lucca. Except that it appeared she required no assistance. I watched as she tossed the paralyzed drone onto the trans-lift on the right, and it soon disappeared to the level below. Then, with some effort, she picked up a large metal storage case, and placed it on the trans-lift. Far below me somewhere, I was certain I heard a crunching sound as the heavy case crushed the drone. Crono looked at Lucca in admiration. "How'd you think of that??" Lucca glanced at him. "Hmm...Well, I'd have to say that some random electron fired off in my brain, and that lead to..." Crono interrupted with "Oh, shut up."  
  
Lucca noticed a sign up near the top of the room and began to read: "'Left - lab area. Right - factory area. Caution! Do not turn off the conveyor belt in the factory. The security system will activate and you'll be in danger.' Well, gee, that's not very comforting..." We loaded onto the left trans-lift and vanished from the room - a second later, re- materializing a level below. Transportation endurance had never been my specialty, and I hunched over as bright colors swam in visual sensors. Regaining my stability, we came out of the lift in a small room curving around to the right. I was struck by the similarity to the designs in Proto Dome. Around the curve, there was a single door. I motioned for the others to stay quiet. I whispered to Crono. "Crono! Do you recall our acidic foe from the room before?" Crono nodded, and then appeared to understand. "Let me guess. There's more around that corner." "Affirmative. I detect three life-forms around the corner. But there is one uncertainty. Two of the three are creatures we have never encountered before. They appear to be the same size and height, but of a different composition. I suggest we attack them first." "Got it." Crono drew his sword. Lucca drew a strange device I quickly identified as a primitive projectile gun, and watched as she loaded it and readied it for use. I tested my left arm to make sure it had returned to operation. "Let us go!"  
  
We leapt from our hiding area. Our new attackers were of a greenish hue. Crono leapt forward and sliced the first into two separate halves, only to discover that it reformed and began consuming his sword! "Hey, leggo!" He yanked on the sword, but the creature remained on the edge. Finally, he brought the sword behind his right shoulder, the creature hanging on, and quickly swung it to his left, slamming the creature into the wall. Uncertainly, I tested the Prometheus Device on the other creature. It appeared to become darker in hue, so I decided that lasers would simply make it stronger. Crono's creature was now a small splotch on the wall. The creature in front of me seemed to notice this, and ran away down the passage behind us, wailing. Through it, the acidic creature we had ignored sneaked up behind Lucca. Unnoticed, it appeared to inflate. It suddenly contracted, firing three brownish-red bubbles. The first popped on Lucca's left arm and she jumped in surprise, rolled to dodge, and shot it in the face. It simply absorbed the projectile. I remembered the effect the Device had on our first attacker, and I fired a beam upon it. It dissolved quickly.  
  
I rushed to Lucca's assistance. I observed a bubbling mass on her arm, slowly growing hungrily. "Ouch! Get...offa me!!" I turned the Prometheus Device to its lowest possible setting, and shot the infection. It luckily dissipated, leaving Lucca to rub her arm where it attacked. Crono looked in question, sheathing his sword. "My lasers appear to have a strong effect upon the acidic substances comprising these creatures and their...bubbles." I approached the slime on the wall, and detected a strong level of alkalinity within it. "Unfortunately, my lasers only strengthen the green ones. And it is probable that this is because of the alkalinity within them." Crono stared blankly. "Acid and alkaline are on opposite ends of the pH scale," I informed. "While the laser dissolves the acidic beings, it has the opposite effect on the alkaline-based creatures." "Why wouldn't your lasers just destroy both?" "...I am not certain. Possibly an imbalance within my Device." Lucca appeared antsy, putting away her gun. "So...where do we go from here?"  
  
I observed the new room. Apparently a dead-end. There were no more exits to be found. To our left there was a computer, and to our right there was an emergency ladder leading below - it was covered with a clear door. Crono spotted the ladder. "Hey, we could go with that!" Lucca nodded, impatient. "Yes, but how would we get that door open?" I stepped toward the computer. "Observe." I typed a simple command and said "Open hatch." The door slid open. Crono laughed dryly. "Now why didn't I think of that?" After descending down the ladder, we approached one of the unit storage corridors. I whispered to the others. "Now, be very quiet in this room. We do not want a fight with 37 Proto units." We slowly made our way to the end of the corridor, observing the lifeless units filling 3 tunnels on the far wall. "I detect a door near the end of the hall," I whispered. Suddenly, two Alkaline creatures dropped from the ceiling. I snatched the first in mid-air and tore it in half. I threw the pieces to the side, grabbed the second, and threw it down a Dust Chute. It would be incinerated in the furnaces. Crono raised an eyebrow. "Nice." We reached the far door and entered, to meet yet another Acid enemy. Lucca sighed. "Y'know, I'm really getting tired of these things. This is so systematic it's beginning to become like a video game!" I silently agreed.  
  
After "taking care" of him, we ran through two more doors to reach one of the main control rooms. Four security lasers ran from floor to ceiling near the center of the room. I was not sure of their usage, but we carefully edged around them anyway. I approached the central computer, and entered a command. I watched in relief as the lasers were shut down. This would open many more passages within the factory. "All systems down," I said. "Defense lasers are off." "Oh no..." Lucca was peering to the ceiling. Crono and I followed her gaze, and there I spotted at least 6 enemies. With rapid plops, they fell from the ceiling like hailstones. Lucca quickly pulled her gun out, and flipped a hidden toggle switch I had not noticed before. Suddenly, a large stream of flame erupted from the end of the gun! The creatures shriveled and blackened, one by one. When nothing remained but several piles of ash, I turned to Lucca as she holstered her gun and laughed. "I'm sick of those things." "Impressive," I stated.  
  
"Hey," Crono said. "It's another one of those ladders!" And indeed it was, in a far corner of the room. We climbed down to the bottom level of the lab, and a fork greeted our entry. "Which way should we go - left or straight?" I answered after a quick scan. "To the left is the main generator. However, there is a large blast door enclosing the room. To enter, we must have a password." Lucca looked at me. "Uh oh..." I nodded. "Yes, the password storage room is within the main factory. Right now, we are in the lab area. Do you recall when we entered the factory, we witnessed a sign on the wall?" Crono nodded. "Yeah, it said something about the factory being to the right." Lucca suddenly understood. "Are you saying we have to go all the way back through this entire lab??" "Fortunately, no. Ahead, there is a trans-lift that will allow us access to the factory." Lucca nodded in relief, and we all stepped onto the trans- lift.  
  
Soon, we re-materialized back on the main level. Two decimated Debuggers were strewn on the floor. Sure enough, the sign still hung on the wall, directing us to the factory. We stepped onto the next trans- lift. A second later, we emerged to deafening crashes and mechanical reports. We hopped off of the storage case Lucca had used to crush a drone and emerged to bright lights and motion. It was a large, multi-level area laden with catwalks, conveyor belts, and unfinished Proto units. Crono looked around in awe. "Whoa..." I immediately began scanning. "IT APPEARS," I yelled over the racket, "THAT WE HAVE FOUR AVAILABLE PASSAGEWAYS. ONE IS A DEAD END, BLOCKED BY RUBBLE. TWO MORE ARE BLOCKED BY LARGE, UNMOVABLE CANISTERS. THE FOURTH...I AM UNCERTAIN. STRANGE INTERFERANCE IS BLOCKING MY SCANNERS." Lucca shrugged. "I GUESS WE DON'T HAVE MUCH CHOICE. LET'S CHECK OUT NUMBER FOUR!"  
  
I lead the way down the stairway and across a catwalk, instructing the others to stay low. We approached a small room, the door open. We stepped inside, cautiously. I did not detect any systems or beings currently present, and we continued to the rear of the room, searching for a clue that would lead us to the password. Seconds later, Lucca screamed very loudly. I whipped to my right only to find that a remote claw had enclosed her body and was dragging her to the exit. I rushed to assist Lucca, watching as Crono battled a second. I grabbed her left arm and braced my legs against the wall. And I surely would have succeeded had it not been for the third claw that suddenly snatched at my outer casing. Helpless, I was lifted off of my feet and into the air. I noticed Crono had failed in his fight against the second claw and was now shouting a string of expletives at his attacker in a blind rage, completely immobile.  
  
All of us had been captured by the remote claws, as immobile as a beached aquatic creature. Much to our surprise, we suddenly soared out of the chamber, returning to the main factory. The claws brought us over a conveyor belt and two catwalks. I realized we were heading for the robot assembly belts. I was held tight. But my left arm was not entirely immobile, and I reached to grasp the antenna on the upper edge. It sensed my threat and began swerving wildly, as if panicked. In a swift crack the antenna was off. The "fingers" limply fell to my side, and I tumbled to the floor. Crono, I observed, now fell from his claw down into the robot assembly area. I knew I had to go after him, and I ran. 264 steps later, I arrived. Loud noises could be detected from within. I entered to find a heap of scrap metal and a winded Crono sheathing his sword.  
  
"Crono, you should know that this belt will proceed through two more rooms progressively filled with more and more robots as they are assembled. I would advise escaping before this exit closes." "I say bring it on. Besides, the password might be at the end!" "Understood. I will attempt to attain the password. Good luck to you!" I took a backward step and the door slid shut in front of me. Crono's reckless actions rather disturbed me. He truly believed that a challenging battle would be beneficial! I could only hope that he would not harm himself. But for now...the password. I continued across a catwalk high above pounding mechanical arms to another entrance, presumably a control room of some sort. I approached the entrance, and detected an unknown life-form around the corner. I drew my Device and paused for a moment. Then I leapt and raised the Device, poised for attack. Lucca raised her arms in defense and backed away.  
  
"I apologize," I told a startled Lucca. "I mistook you for yet another attacker." "Geez Robo, you scared the heck out of me!" I was puzzled by the phrase, but I did not question further. "Are you searching for the passcode as well?" "Yeah...around the corner here there's about 4 robots...funny, they all look like bugs..." I recognized the description and began an explanation. "Ah, Bugger drones. These will be harmless unless we come within proximity. They cannot see or hear, but they have tiny microsensors surrounding their outer casing. These allow them to 'feel' the tiniest of vibrations within the ground and everything within their surroundings. They allow them to form a sort of 'mental picture' of the area. So..." "...So if we walk lightly and quietly, we're invisible," interjected Lucca. "Precisely." We entered the room.  
  
Indeed, there they were. I had always found Buggers' movements amusing - they amble about like cattle, but they appear to gyrate in a short, vertical circle upon their legs. It was then that I began to reflect on the past 1 hour, 12 minutes, and 8 seconds. Why were the security lasers activated when we entered? Why did the Debuggers, Remote Claws and Proto Units attack us? What was the meaning of the beings composed of Acid and Alkaline? And why was the factory operational?? I was uncertain as to the answers to any of these questions, but I hoped to discover a single solution in the near future. I half suspected that, as we approached the far door, if we WERE to make a noise or vibration, these "innocent" Bugger units would attack as well. I was left without a clue as to why.  
  
We quietly sealed the door behind us and turned to face a long transport corridor. This would lead to a control room or something similar. As Lucca and I walked, I decided that it was time to ask a question I had been pondering over for some time. "Lucca?" She stopped and turned to me, as if expecting I was going to announce the approach of an attacker. She drew her projectile gun. "Let us continue as I speak." Lucca shrugged, holstered her gun, and we continued walking. "Lucca, do you have an attraction to or feel affection for Crono?" Lucca raised her eyebrows and looked at me in surprise. We both stopped again. "Crono and I have known each other for like...forever. He's my best friend, but I don't really seriously like him - if that's what you meant." However, I was confused. "But if you do not like him, then how can he be your friend?" "Robo, that's not really the way I meant 'like.' Of course I like him as a friend. Just not really any further than that. Er...what brought this on?"  
  
"I have observed as of late how the two of you enter into rapturous conversation, often flirtatiously. It is not of any concern to me, just a random query. I am not perfected at reading emotions, regardless." This comment appeared to spark remembrance into Lucca regarding a question she, too, had been pondering. "Robo..." "Yes?" "Can't...you have emotions?" I shuddered slightly as I remembered the moment the Program returned to operation. If emotions had been fully active at that moment... I stood in silence as Lucca looked at my actions. "...I...yes," I came out with. Lucca continued. "...But...you don't use them, right?" "Correct." "Why not?" I thought about this question for a moment. "I...suppose they...oh, you would not understand." Lucca appeared impatient. "I can wait through long stories, you know." "Understood, understood..." And so I began.  
  
"In June of the year 1998 A.D., that is, 998 years in your future, a special android was created. This android was installed with a revolutionary program named..." I choked the name out. "Named...Atropos. The robot was named after its program. This program was designed to be able to learn, and gain new information. Unfortunately, a month later, the robot knew too much. It...she...suddenly knew the secret of the human race." I glanced at Lucca. "She was captured. She killed several men." I looked to the floor for a moment, to regain my composure. "Instantly a new program was put into production. This program was named Prometheus, after an ancient god. The difference was that this program was limited, and installed with a sense of individuality, and a sense of 'right and wrong.' Program Atropos was shut down, and the humans attempted to remove it. This was unsuccessful, and, unknowing, Prometheus was installed over shards of Atropos, creating an odd blend. Robot Atropos was exiled, and never seen again."  
  
"Six months later, a second robot was made, designed as a male. It was installed successfully with a full version of Prometheus, and Program Atropos did not exist in its programming. It was an immediate success, also named after its program, and it began its normal duties. Precisely 5 hours later, the robot uncovered an odd hoax put on by the humans. Curious, he hacked into the computer systems and uncovered that he was destined to die within 4 hours. He also discovered that horrible experiments were being performed on several robots within the R-Series. A rescue was performed. Soon after, Prometheus also discovered the secret of the human race. Reacting similarly to Atropos, he led an unsuccessful revolution of the Geno Mother Brain. He was exiled as well. Soon after, he met Atropos. Something horrible happened that lead to this rotting land." Lucca still did not understand the implications of this.  
  
I did not know how she would react to my final statement, so I turned and locked eyes with hers. "Lucca," I started. "Do not be afraid...but the title of my programming...is Prometheus." Her eyes widened and she gasped, realization hitting her immediately. "Y, you're Prometheus??" "Yes," I confirmed. "But please refer to me as Robo...it makes things simpler in conversation." "Oh wow," Lucca breathed. "To answer your question, the reason I have never used emotions is because the emotion chip within the central core is inoperable. It was successfully installed, but never activated since I was created." Lucca lit up. "So...if we were to activate it..." I held up my hand. "No. I refuse - you do not know how I may react...as my program is similar to that of Atropos. But you are correct that yes...it could be done. It is only that I believe emotions would cloud my judgement." Lucca appeared in a state of thought. "Lucca, I would appreciate it if you would keep everything I have just told you confidential. I would trust you with this information." "Of course, I won't tell." I suddenly looked at her. "Do you realize how much time we have used talking? Let us continue and meet Crono."  
  
Lucca agreed and we reached the end of the hall. Three passageways met us. "Ah, this is our destination. I will continue to the left and retrieve the password. Lucca, do you remember the large canisters blocking our passage?" She nodded. "To your right, there is a control station. This will allow you to operate a remote claw. This can be used to remove the canisters. I do not detect any creatures or robots along your path, so you essentially have a clear shot." "Yeah, good idea. We'll meet Crono down by the assembly area. Good luck!" Lucca left me, and I continued to the left. A door faced me, leading to an empty terminal room. I opened the door, and stepped inside. A single console faced me, and I entered a command. A message appeared onscreen: "Last defense lock code named 'ZABIE.'" I immediately stored the text in my personal data banks and left the room.  
  
I continued to the assembly area, to find Crono waiting, watching Lucca one level above in the control tower. All but one canister had been removed. Lucca directed the claw down to the canister, but miscalculated and it clutched the wall of the chamber. Crono grinned and yelled up at Lucca, "HEY, YOU HAVING FUN UP THERE?" The claw closed all fingers but one to create a rude gesture aimed at Crono. Crono chuckled and muttered something I couldn't detect. The last canister was removed, and Lucca was shortly with us. "I have retrieved the password. Let us continue through this passageway - there is a shortcut to the exit." And indeed, after walking down the newly opened passageway, a trans-lift met us. I stepped on and braced myself. Dematerialization had never been kind to my circuits.  
  
We soon reformed at the bottom level of the lab area. "Now, unlike before, let us continue to the right - the door awaits." And indeed we did. I led the way past the emergency blast doors and approached the main generator door. The console lay to the left. A cursor flashed onscreen with the message: "ENTER LAST DEFENSE LOCK CODE." I quickly entered the word "ZABIE" and the door in front of us rumbled to the left. We stood in a massive chamber, a humming noise blocking out all sound. I faced the control tower. A single lever rested in the center, with a square of green LEDs to the right. I looked to the others and nodded. After a moment, I walked to the tower, and threw down the lever. The humming ceased. However, most unfortunately, an ear-splitting screech followed, with a loud arcing of electricity. An alarm sounded over the din. I began to understand as the alarm incessantly continued.  
  
"Crono! Lucca! Emergency!! Security system has gone haywire. Must escape immediately!" Crono jumped to his feet. "RUN!!" We hurtled from the chamber. The blast doors in front of us began to lurch forward from a grinding halt. If we did not hurry, we would be confined here forever! We tumbled through the first door as it crunched shut behind us. The following door, however, would be permanently shut in exactly .284 seconds! I ignored the inevitable and leapt to the remaining crack. The immense crushing force on either side of my casing meant nothing. My friends were far more important. I shouted with my remaining energy, "HURRY! NOW!!!" They rolled under me to the other side. Shutdown was, once again, imminent. My internal systems were down to 15% when I discovered a tugging on my appendages. Crono and Lucca. Attempting to free me instead of saving their own lives! My systems began hissing coolant. All at once, I was tugged free from the grip of the blast door as it slammed behind me. The three of us tumbled to the floor. I kneeled for a moment, and, after venting my external casing, I was ready for more. We ran as quickly as we could.  
  
We once more reached the split of three passageways. "We must take the trans-lift!" I shouted to the others. We stood on the glowing platform, but the uneasy sensation did not come. Crono looked down. "What's going on?!" "The emergency systems must have shut down the trans- lifts!" Lucca looked up. "The emergency ladders!! There's one down the hall!" We jumped off the useless trans-lift and raced to the ladder. Crono leapt up, in the lead. The ladder shook from the concussion with his body. He reached the top, and peered down the shaft as Lucca climbed, making sure she reached the next level as well. Lastly, I jumped on the ladder, bringing up the rear. I climbed out just as the clear door slid shut. "Run! The unit storage corridor is ahead!!" We busted through the door. The alarm, strangely, shut itself off, and the racket caused by hissing machines was subdued. The door sealed itself, blocking further passage.  
  
Within the center of the corridor, stood three R-Series robots. Memory struck me like a blow to the face. I ran to them, and turned to Lucca and Crono. "Th...these are my friends! R-64Y, R-67Y, and R-69Y! Good to see you!" Lucca stared, open-mouthed, as I nodded to each of my old colleagues. They stood motionless. I waited to hear R-64Y's familar twang of speech - waited for some gesture from R-67Y - some snide comment from R-69Y. None came. They stood motionless. When I reached R-69Y, he reared back, and slammed his fist into my casing with incredible force, sending me to the floor. "Wh, what are you doing?!" I exclaimed. R-64Y, cold and humorless, responded, "You are defective." R-67Y, expressionless, added, "You have been tainted." "Pardon?" I responded. Their sentences had not yet fully registered. "I'm...malfunctioning?" R-64Y took a step forward. "Affirmative." It was now that I understood. They had been reprogrammed. And I was a defect.  
  
I turned away. "A defect...I'm a defect..." R-69Y nodded. "Have you forgotten our mission? All intruders must be eliminated!" I turned to him. "THAT was my purpose?" Suddenly, it all came back to me. When I awoke in this future, my primary objective had been altered. My original objective... R-64Y's voice became a shade colder. "You shame us! You must be destroyed." He brought his hands to my shoulders and threw me to the floor. As I felt the impacts on my external casing increase in intensity, I reminded myself that these were no longer my friends. My friends, essentially, had been terminated. These were evil, empty husks - void of emotion. Their memories had been erased. Their programming had been changed. And I was a defect.  
  
Lucca stepped forward. "Wh, what are you doing!" I watched through damaged optical sensors as R-64Y, R-67Y, and R-69Y stopped their attack and vented their external casings. I caught Lucca's eye and silently told her to run. These monsters would surely kill Crono and Lucca. I stumbled forward and fell onto my face, mechanical components whining and grinding. "Please stop," I begged. "Pl...ease..." And they began again - throwing their weight and force into powerful blows to my casing. I began to drift in and out of activation. My time had come. Their blows ceased, and I was thrown into the garbage and spare parts chamber. My name was called - somewhere, distant...and my conciousness closed in on itself.  
  
Log Entry E Inactive  
  
Log Entry F Active  
  
I drifted in and out of conciousness in a dreamlike state. My internal systems were heavily damaged. Optical sensors barely managed a fuzzy image of Crono and Marle speaking in the rear of a room, Lucca in front of me. Audio drifted in and out, and motor activity was inoperable. Sparks flashed on exposed circuits. My cranium casing was removed, leaving the internal machinery to open air. "C...can you r...repair...me?" I managed. Lucca brought out a tool and said, "Shh, don't talk." I continued. "You...are trying to save our world?" Lucca spoke in a low voice. "I don't know how far we'll get, but that's the plan. Anyway Robo, what are you going to do when you're repaired?" "What am I...going to do?" "Yeah. I mean, what plans do you have for the future?" I thought for a moment with a damaged memory. "Lucca, no one has ever asked me that before!" She turned a screw somewhere on the back of my casing. "Lucca..." "Yes?" "I...have a r...request... If you repair...me, ac...tivate the emotion...ch...chip." "What? Are you sure? You told me that if I did..." "Af...affirmative. But I...have...to kn...know...what it is like..." I drifted into unconciousness.  
  
Log Entry F Inactive  
  
Log Entry G Active  
  
"Good morning," I greeted the others. A surge of relief washed through me. A pleasant new sensation. I suddenly realized, however, that the emotion chip was not fully functional. In fact, only 12% was fully operational. I glanced at Lucca and she looked slightly disappointed that it had not turned out quite as she had planned. Maybe my transition was not meant to happen yet. Still, I realized that it would be fully functional in precisely 259,200 seconds. That translates to approximately 3 days. Unfortunately, I also realized that it would not go in a slow gradient or transition. The full force of the active chip would hit me in a blow. But to make up for this, Lucca had kindly integrated the Prometheus Device into my systems so I would not have to worry about an external object.  
  
Marle walked toward me. "Robo! You're all right!!" She looked to Lucca. "Lucca, you're incredible!" Lucca adjusted her glasses and said, "I hope I never have to do that again..." I decided then and there what my future would be. I vividly remembered Lucca's question, and it was time to answer it. "Lucca, I have made up my mind. I want to go with you..." Marle looked at me blankly. "Pardon?" "There is nothing left for me here," I answered. "Together, maybe we can give this planet of ours a chance!" I felt determined to do something to help them. Lucca looked overjoyed. "Then let's go! The gate's up ahead!!" The door, opened by Marle, beckoned us. I nodded, and we marched through the door, determined, to face whatever challenge lay ahead - and to face it united as one.  
  
Log Entry G Inactive 


	4. Personal Data Log C: Beyond Nowhere

ROBO'S STORY  
  
PERSONAL DATA LOG C  
  
BEYOND NOWHERE  
  
System Check D active.  
  
Unit R66-Y operational on March 14th, 11:44 PM, AD 2300. Boot system Geno Zero Zero Six Six Y running. No malfunctions detected. Motor activity at 100%. Visual and audio sensors running at 100%. Emotion chip now 12% operational.  
  
System Check D inactive.  
  
Log Entry H active.  
  
The door shut behind us and we stood in a small, smelly room - empty, save for the glowing azure orb near the center. Lucca removed an odd- looking rod with five finger-like petals along the outer edge - it reminded me of the flowers from the old days. "This is the Gate?" I questioned. Crono nodded. "But you can't move at all or you might fall into a random time zone...!" I was alarmed by this until Marle spoke. "Don't listen to him - he's an idiot." She punched him playfully in the arm, and I watched quietly. I guessed that the same situation might possibly be happening between Marle and Crono as I had observed with Lucca and Crono - but then again, I was not so accurate at reading that kind of situation. If it WAS the same situation, an uncomfortable conflict might erupt. Regardless, Program Prometheus and the Emotion Chip had begun a slow transition within my "personality"...I was not quite sure how to adapt to that change or even what it was, but the point is that it was there. Everyone knew it was there, but it was never mentioned. I still knew, however, that my chip was not fully active. When it WAS fully operational...I did not wish to know.  
  
But, I had recently come to understand that there is no point in worrying over what you cannot control. Lucca waved the rod like a conductor's baton and a rip in space-time expanded into being. Crono, Marle, and Lucca leapt inside immediately. I hesitated for a moment before jumping in myself. As swirling colors surrounded me, I was not sure if I was moving, or how much time was passing. I also noticed that I could no longer see myself. My companions had changed into points of white light - I wondered if I appeared the same to them. A rushing noise like a fresh breeze whistling through a cavern surrounded me, and I felt a distant sensation of falling in slow motion. How I saw, heard, or felt any of this - I did not know. I did not exist, and yet I did. The illogical sense of the whole situation was mind-boggling. Time travel was impossible, according to every law I had heard in my time of activation. I did not understand, and yet at that moment I remembered something I had once heard. Within the science of Quantum Mechanics, there is a theory about a Multiplicity of Histories.  
  
In this theory, it states that whenever an action is performed, an alternate existence is created. What this implies is that infinite universes branch off during every moment of our existence. In an alternate unive ae, the event that split the original universe might not have occurred, or it might have happened in a different way. Existence is similar to that of a tree. The one difference is that every branch will create infinite more branches. Time travel is not possible if you wish to leap from branch to branch on the tree. To travel through time, one must journey down to the base of the trunk, and choose a different branch to travel up through. I realized that after I stepped through the portal, I must have passed the dawn of creation - the boundary of everything that exists - before I was able to travel through to a different time. But I also knew that to be able to travel there, I would need power greater than 6,000,000 suns condensed for conventional use. What could possibly create something that powerful I did not know.  
  
I peered through a crimson blur to my left, and I could barely detect overlapped images flashing by at such an extraordinary rate that an organic being would not see a change. In fact, they flashed so quickly, that even I was not able to isolate and scan one. I simply was aware that the blur was comprised of the images. How many years had I passed? Had I reached the boundary yet? What had now become of my ruined world? The questions flashed about almost as quickly as the images. Then, all at once, I was aware that the four of us were not alone. It was invisible to my optical sensors and scanners - but a level of spiritual energy existed, and then quickly dissipated. I did not inform the others of my observation. I was suddenly aware of a sucking sensation - a vacuum drawing me forward. A black void swirled into being in front of us, and we hurtled through the portal, still points of light.  
  
Precisely 2 seconds later, I found myself tumbling to the ground. I stood, and assured myself of the operation of my appendages. We stood on an old cobblestone road, lampposts on either side. An old gate stood in front of us, and three whirling pillars of light appeared when we stepped away. The light pulsated in a strangely soothing sense, as if it were alive. There was something very wrong with this place. I quite suddenly noticed what it was. This small land floated over and within nothing. Dark, navy blue fog surrounded us on all sides. I stomped...solid ground. This "village" of the old days must have had some form of anti-grav unit to float like this. But, oddly, I detected none. Yet another new emotion - curiosity took hold. How was this possible? But, I realized, I'd gone far beyond the realm of the possible and the impossible already. Was this world beyond even 2300 A.D.?  
  
"Where are we?" I questioned. It was a rhetorical question, another new characteristic of the humans that I was attempting more and more frequently. My synthesized voice echoed about as if we were within a great chasm. But other than this, no sound occurred - not the tiniest drop of water, not even the buzzing of an insect. I suspected no life existed here. Marle looked worried. "What if it's a trap?" I looked at Crono and knew exactly what he would say. "I say we go for it." One day, I thought as we approached the gate, his recklessness would prove to be a great setback. I could only hope it would not bring harm to him. Lucca stopped us. "Now wait just a minute! Something's wrong. Look." She pointed to the three pillars of light behind us. "Yes? What's wrong with them?" Suddenly Marle slapped her hand over her forehead as she understood. "There's no Gate!!"  
  
A shocked silence ensued. "So..." Marle said, glancing behind her back every so often as if stalked by a nameless enemy. "...That means...we're stuck here? HERE?!" "Please, Marle," I said, holding up my hand. "We are not alone. Your volume may attract his attention." I understood that this being didn't have anything to do with the entity I detected during our transport through time. That...I could not explain. Regardless, my comment stopped her dead in her tracks. "Someone's...out here? Waiting for us??" She glanced about nervously. I shook my head. "It is highly improbable that he would be waiting for us, but he does indeed exist." Crono turned to me. "Can you tell what he looks like?" "I will attempt to extend scanner range - please do not distract me." I sat and shut down all extraneous systems. "White," I began. "Male. Old age." I "opened my eyes," so to speak. "He is one of you. A human." Lucca's eyebrows narrowed. "Then what would...he be doing...here?"  
  
A loud noise pierced the following silence. A loud vibrating snort, followed by a whistle. A moment later, it occurred again. "And," I said, "He is also asleep." "Well, at least that gives us an advantage..." said Crono, looking to the gate. Marle, reluctantly, lead the way and quietly pushed open the old gate. A square-shaped chamber met our eyes, lit by a single old lamppost in the center. However, I observed, it was not the only light source. Two buckets, one near the back of the room and one to our right, were lit with an eerie cyan glow. The glows seemed to pulsate, as the pillars of light in the other room had. A locked door stood to our left. But the subject of interest, of course, was the old man leaning against the lamppost. He wore a brown overcoat that I could not date. Every time I analyzed it, I got false readings stating odd statistics that I knew must have been impossible.  
  
He wore an unsightly brown bowler hat with a dark green trimming. His shoes were battered and torn, and he held a worn yellow cane. Seconds later, the snoring subsided and the man lifted his head in surprise, his white mustache moving slightly. Everyone readied themselves. The old man chuckled and raised his hat from his eyes with a finger. "Ah, more guests...!" I nodded to the others - he appeared friendly. Lucca stepped forward. "What do you mean, "guest"...? And WHERE are we?" The old man laughed again and responded, "Why, this is 'The End of Time,' of course!" Not understanding, I checked the time gyro to get some answers for myself. But, the time gyro once again read "error." The old man continued. "All lost travelers in time wind up here! Now, where are you from?" Lucca spoke up again. "We're from Guardia Kingdom, circa 1000 A.D." I became slightly annoyed at her lack of consideration, and I quietly interjected. "I come from 2300 A.D..."  
  
The man smiled and nodded. "When 4 or more beings step into a time warp, the Conservation of Time theorem states that they will turn up at the space-time coordinates of least resistance. Here." I was puzzled, but let him continue. "Disturbances in the space-time continuum have increased recently. Far too many folks are just popping in here...I fear something is having a powerful effect on the very fabric of time..." I nodded, this disturbing information ringing true. A new sensation, uneasiness, struck me. Lucca spoke again, bringing up another disturbing point. "...And that means one of us has to remain here." Marle's eyes widened further. I realized that they already now took up 11% of her face, rapidly increasing. "Stay HERE? ALONE?" I could tell she did not quite agree with the prospect. Understatement was another very human affectation I greatly enjoyed toying with.  
  
The old man looked around. "It is pretty bleak here...but not to worry. All time periods connect here, so you can visit your friends whenever you wish! But you can never travel in groups greater than 3..." "So," I said, "One of us must stay." A silence followed. I suddenly felt Marle's eyes on me. Then Lucca's. And then Crono's. I turned my head and looked at the three of them. I understood that all of them, even Crono, felt a shade of fear of this place. I understood that I would be the one to stay this first time. I would then convince the others that it truly wasn't so horrible. However, in truth, I too felt fear of The End of Time. But as my Emotion Chip was still only 12% operational, I knew I should stay anyway. I nodded and agreed with them, much to their relief.  
  
The old man nodded again. "...So there you have it. Don't forget. You can come back and change party members as often as you need to." Then Marle's eyes narrowed and she brought up the most pressing problem of all. "How do we get back to our time?" Everyone agreed with the question. The man pointed. "You see those lovely pillars of light? Those hook you up to different eras. Once you've been through a Gate, you can always use it to come here. To use a Gate from here, simply step into the light. But beware the Gate which leads from that bucket..." We nodded - even Crono. Danger was something none of us truly looked forward to. I waved goodbye and the three humans turned to the pillars. The man suddenly called them back. "Don't be in such a rush! Before you go, the four of you should take a peek in the room behind me! Here's the key, go ahead!" I joined them again.  
  
Curious, Crono took the key and slid it into the worn lock. A loud clunk was heard, and the door creaked to the side. Another square chamber, much like the first, came into view. It was lit by an unseen source and was slightly larger. The one difference, however, was that a small, white fuzzy creature stood in the center. It grinned and stood as tall and proud as it could on its small, weak legs. "What're you lookin' at?" It squeaked. "I'm Spekkio. The Master of War! I've seen all kinds of battles from here. How do I look to you guys?" "Er..." The four of us exchanged glances. "Uh, strong!" Invented Marle. Spekkio's grin broadened as he somehow knew the truth behind our observations of the pitiful creature. "I see. Let's put it this way. If you're strong, I look strong. If you're weak, I look weak." "How is that..." I began, but Lucca raised her hand and cut me off. Spekkio's grin disappeared and he truthfully nodded in satisfaction. "You are strong of will...! That's why the Old One let you through." Spekkio looked to the swirling fog above us.  
  
"Long before you were born...there was a kingdom where magic flourished. Everyone there could use it!" I was about to interrupt with a question regarding the definition of "magic," but Lucca once again stopped me. Spekkio continued. "But in time, people began to abuse their powers. It got so bad that no one was allowed to use magic except wizards." He looked back to us, lighting up. "But you have it...determination, I mean! Magic needs power of the heart. It needs inner strength." This time I held Lucca back and said, "But...what exactly is 'magic?'" Spekkio chuckled and agreed to explain. "Magic is divided into 4 types: Lightning, Fire, Water, and Shadow. One's type is decided by their inner soul - their past, their memories, and their personality." I could have sworn Spekkio's eyes flicked to me just for a moment.  
  
"You, with the punk hairdo! You're 'Lightning.' The one with the ponytail is 'Water.' The girl with the goofy glasses is 'Fire.'" Spekkio stopped and analyzed me for a moment. "That's the biggest toy I've ever seen...hey, you're not alive, are you?!" I was highly offended. "You've got great strength. However, I can't measure your inner character! But from what I can see...yes. Definitely. You're 'Shadow.'" Crono and Marle looked at me out of the corner of their eyes, wondering what could have been within my past that would cause me to be deemed Shadow type. Of course, Lucca knew, and she looked at the ground, tracing a circle with her foot. I was grateful for her kindness.  
  
Spekkio broke the silence. "Not just magic, but EVERYTHING is based on the balance of these 4 powers. And I believe that you four would not upset that balance." This new discovery came as a surprise to me. It was quite apparent now, that I realized with this power I could easily disturb the very lining of space-time. And I understood that Spekkio was fully ready to deem us able to carry the weight of that responsibility. We, in all likelihood, were the few who could use this power for good, and Spekkio saw that in us. It was then that Spekkio came out with something completely unexpected. "Think 'MAGIC,' and, starting from the door, walk clockwise along the walls of my room three times. Don't lose track, now." We looked at each other and shrugged, but complied. I brought up the rear, and, ridiculous as it may have appeared, we marched around the edge of the battered bars repeating "MAGIC" in our minds as many times as we could muster. Spekkio observed in amusement, following us with his eyes.  
  
As we walked, I pondered Spekkio's existence. I peered into the tiny eyes in the head of the small creature, and understood that this being was something of my own creation. My subconscious had created this bizarre, twisted thing. I wondered what he appeared like to the others. Two laps to go... I also wondered if one of the mindless R-Series robots had seen Spekkio, if they would have seen his true form, or just seen nothing at all. They, after all, retained no individuality or subconscious. "Inner character," as Spekkio might have put it. One lap to go... I also understood that Spekkio must have been all-seeing and all-knowing if it was true that he was some sort of immortal creature and had watched everything since the Boundary of Time. His vast store of knowledge must have been incredible. As we neared the end of the last lap, I decided to scan Spekkio. All results turned negative, excluding the enormous level of spiritual energy I detected in his location.  
  
We finished our "tour" around Spekkio's room, and gathered in front of him once again. Spekkio chuckled. "Very good!" Spekkio had us gather closer together. He lowered his head and raised his arms. "Ipso facto, meeny moe...MAGICO!" I felt a tingling and a rush of pleasure, almost like a sweet-smelling breeze. As soon as it began, however, it was quickly over. Spekkio raised his head. "So! Fortified with magic! Wanna try it out?" We all nodded in agreement. "All right!" He responded. He raised his arms, muttered, and a dummy appeared in midair. We assumed it was for use in attacking. Its appearance was identical to Spekkio's, so I assumed he had cast the same magic over this dummy. Spekkio nodded. "Who's first?" Crono stepped forward, eager to try. Then he stood, silent, slightly confused. "Um...what exactly am I supposed to do?" Spekkio laughed. "OK. First you need to clear your mind of all thoughts, and focus on something simple, such as breathing...yes, that's it...good...now open your eyes and watch." He did so.  
  
Suddenly, a low roar was heard. I watched as Marle's hair stood straight up on her head. All at once, not 20 feet away, a bolt of pure energy arced down from the endless fog with a crack down into nothingness. Crono's eyes widened. "I did THAT?!" Spekkio nodded. "Keep in mind, you guys, that once you get good enough at this, you won't need to even clear your thoughts or focus at all. It's like domesticating an animal. Associate the magical effect with an action - such as raising or opening a hand, clapping, or whatever pleases you. Once the association is strong enough, one action will become synonymous with the magical effect in your mind. When you do that action, you will cast the magic. Plus, when you're strong enough, you can combine your powers to create new effects. We call these Double or Triple Techs. In general, the more power you combine, the greater the effect. Why don't we have the one with the ponytail go next?"  
  
Marle nodded and stepped forward. She began repeating the actions Crono had done moments before, but Spekkio stopped her abruptly. "Hold on! Wait a sec! All magic is performed in a different way. Ice magic is quite different." Marle looked up. "Ice? I thought you said I was Water?" Spekkio shook his head. "No. Well, in a sense yes. Here, let me explain. Water magic is divided into two sub categories. One is Water magic, and one is Ice magic. You're Ice." Marle grinned. "Great! Actually, I think I like Ice better." Spekkio nodded. "It was designed to fit. Anyway, here's how you do your stuff. First, begin like you did a moment ago. Now, wait for a moment...open your eyes, but CONTINUE to focus your energy. Good..." A small spinning ball of sparkling blue energy formed in front of her open hand.  
  
Spekkio continued. "Now, continue focusing for a moment..." After a few seconds, the ball began to advance forward, gradually gaining speed. Spekkio waited. "And...unfocus and release...NOW." Several yards away, the ball rapidly expanded into a large mass of unshapen ice, which tumbled to nothingness below. Spekkio continued. "Keep in mind that the mass of energy you created can pass through solid matter. Therefore, you can release when the ball is above or even inside of an object. This will be useful in battle. Another thing I gotta remind you. Everyone has limits, even me. We all have a level of something I call Magic Power, or MP for short. All magic we use will lower this level. If it is depleted, you will be exhausted and will not be able to use magic for about 10 to 12 minutes. The more magic you do, the greater this level will become. Let's see...why don't we have the girl with the glasses go next?"  
  
Lucca came forward. Spekkio readied her. "Focus, as before. OK...release and open your eyes now." We waited, but nothing happened. "Uh, Spekkio? Nothing's happening. Is there something else I'm...supposed..." She stopped when she noticed her right fist was clenched and smoking. She opened her hand to find a levitating ball of crackling orange energy. She gasped, slightly surprised. "Why isn't this burning me?" Spekkio answered. "You are all immune to magic itself, so you will not be harmed if you hit yourself or the others." Lucca hurled the ball to the floor and it exploded into a pool of flame about 5 feet in diameter. It quickly died away. "Very good," said Spekkio. "There are three ways that all of you can perform your magic." Spekkio began to explain.  
  
"The first way comprises of your normal, single target blow. The second is a wide dispersal. This will attack any foe within 25 feet or so. The third is object focusing. With this, you can focus your magic power into an object. You with the punk hairdo should be able to focus into your sword - you with the glasses can focus into that gun of yours. Ms. Ponytail can even focus into other people to effectively revitalize them. Mr. Robot here is a different story, however. Any Shadow magic you use must be conveyed via that laser device you've got there. You can still do single target, wide dispersal, and object focusing, but it must be through that laser device. Why don't you give some magic a shot?"  
  
I stepped forward, slightly nervous. The others watched with interest, as I would have to use magic in a very different way. "OK," Spekkio began. "It looks like you have an interesting past - Shadow magic should work well with you. I believe step one is gonna be to charge your laser." I did so. "Now, Shadow is quite different from the others. OK, you ready? All right. I want you to HATE me! HATE your friends. HATE this place, that old geezer next door, this dummy, and hate EVERYTHING ABOUT EVERYTHING! I want you to recall your worst memory - your archenemy - the death of a loved one. Remember everything you've ever lost!" I remembered. The cruel trick of the humans. The lethal experimentation of the R-Series. Atropos. My friends! R-64Y, R-67Y, and R-69Y. Gone forever! Reprogrammed!! My four hour death sentence. The rumbling...the shaking...rubble falling...screams of terror and shouts over the crumbling of the human race...the rage I had felt when my program was reactivated...I would never see Atropos or my friends again...!  
  
A dark cloud began to swirl above my head as my rage mounted. The Shadow magic took hold and multiplied my emotion by precisely 63 times. A black wind began to howl loudly as the magic's intensity increased exponentially. Spekkio shouted over the racket, "FOCUS ON THE DUMMY...RELEASE!!" I vented my external casing, revealing the glimmering Prometheus Device. I raised my arms and the black cloud disappeared. After a moment of silence, the Device unleashed an eerie purple-blue beam that seemed to pulsate. I shut off optical sensors, letting all emotion flow out with the ray of pure destructive energy. The sound died down, and 5 seconds later, I opened my eyes. The dummy was gone. Completely vaporized. Behind it, a neat hole with a 3 foot diameter was now cut through the thick vertical iron bars. Crono, Marle and Lucca stared in shock.  
  
Spekkio grinned. "Very, very good! I haven't seen Shadow magic performed that well in ages!" I returned to the others, and slowly regained my control. I had never felt such evil in a long time. Much less from myself. It was then that I discovered that my emotion chip was 4% closer to full activation. It now rested still at 16%. Apparently, the power within the magic itself had boosted it ever closer to...something. I hoped that when it came, my Shadow magic would not be so strong as to overload my own circuits and be taken over entirely by its evil. I did not make my thoughts public. Spekkio began again, chuckling. "You guys are too much! Bring newcomers to meet me." We nodded, waved, said our goodbyes, and left Spekkio to watch over his field of nothingness.  
  
As we emerged into the previous room, the old man beckoned us to him again. He cleared his throat, and began to speak. "Well, well! People who lived long ago ALL enjoyed such powers. Now, I know you are itching to go ripping back and forth through time, but first you need to return to your era." I knew the old man was referring to my three human companions, as I would not accompany them on this adventure. The man continued. "And you must hurry. The longer you remain here, the harder it will be to change that which must be changed. Stop by whenever you're in the area!" Crono, Marle, and Lucca waved their goodbyes to me and I wished them luck. I watched as the three of them, one by one, stepped into the third pillar of light and dematerialized much like they would if on a trans-lift. And then silence.  
  
I sat and shut down extraneous systems. I hoped it would not be a long wait. In fact, I realized as I thought about it, that they should have rematerialized as soon as they stepped in. Assuming, of course, that they returned after their adventure to the same time and place as they left. And it appeared that they hadn't. Unless the mission was unsuccessful... I immediately pushed the thought from my mind. They were able and strong human beings. I turned on optical sensors and detected the old man watching me. I decided it was about time I asked a few pressing questions. Just as I activated voice synthesis, however, he began to speak. "You're R-66Y, right? Prometheus?" I was surprised, as my serial number or program name had not been used since I was named 'Robo.' "Affirmative. How did you come upon my identity?" "Well, you were really quite the hero, you know. Saved everyone in Geno Dome." I was left clueless from his statement.  
  
"I do not understand. I saved no one." The man pushed his bowler hat down over his eyes. "You led a small-scale revolution against the Mother Brain, right? Well, it activated extra security systems and sealed Level 1 blast doors 10 minutes after your jailing in Proto. The blast doors saved most everyone from Lavos." I attempted comprehension of his statement. I had saved approximately 46 humans and 157 robots from termination - this was a positive statement. However, the word Lavos...I had heard it somewhere...yes! The director in Proto Dome. Before he was crushed, he muttered "Lavos..." and yes! I now understood. "Lavos" was an ancient term of unknown dialect meaning "Great Fire." The creature creating the immense waves of energy and the massive needle-like cones drilling their way through the domes...the creature...was named Lavos. The man explained everything to me.  
  
According to him, when the humans within Geno came to, all the robots were gone. Approximately 5 years into the aftermath of "The Day of Lavos," as it had come to be known, many of the survivors ventured from Geno's remains and spread to other domes such as Arris and Bangor. A few brave adventurers had found their way into places such as the sewers or even up onto Death Peak, the mountain created by the residual rubble from Lavos' apparation. Death Peak existed in the exact location in which Lavos had appeared. It was called Death Peak because none who ventured there had ever returned. The cowardly ones remained in Geno Dome. Months later, all of those who had stayed within Geno mysteriously disappeared. The remaining populous reproduced and rose to approximately 240. It was then that the robots returned. According to the old man, I had unwillingly protected not only Geno Dome, but Geno's Mother Brain. It had collected all of the robots - every single one it could find - and reprogrammed them. Now, they worked as a force to destroy humankind.  
  
This, I now understood, explained why "innocent" Debuggers, Proto Units, Buggers, Remote Claws, and my friends from the R-Series had attacked us while we explored Proto Factory. This also explained why all of the domes were relatively clean inside. This meant that every drone that might have survived was now an enemy. The man continued to explain that the tattered edges that remained of the human race were rather useless. They did nothing aside from consuming what little food they had, and attempting to stay warm. In 2245, the robots attacked the survivors' camp. Over half of what remained of the population was slaughtered. Some were taken to Geno Dome for "tests." A 20-year-old man named Doan led an escape from several of the Domes to reside in the ruins of the ShelterDome. Years later, the people returned to the domes, but many lost the will to live and ended their own existence. Only a handful remained in 2300. In essence, the Mother Brain ruled the ruins of the world. The path to Geno Dome was sealed off with a large polluted bay.  
  
"I am ashamed," I said, "That I know far less of my own time than even you." "Hey, nothin' to be ashamed of," He said. I thought of something else. "I am more ashamed that I cannot do anything to assist my companions." The man shook his head. "Who says so?" That caught me off guard for a moment. "You can follow them if you want, but it's kind of complicated. You see, The End of Time works a little different from the space-time continuum. It doesn't move forward in time at all. It's sort of like we're frozen in one moment, but we perceive it as passage of time. The problem with all this is that you MUST choose the right time and location, and you MUST find them BEFORE they return here. If they return before you reach them, you might create another branch of existence in which you never existed at all. Take your tree analogy." How he knew of my analogy, I was not certain. He continued. "It would be like you're stuck on one branch, and they travel down another. You'd simply phase out of existence in their timeline. You have to consider if it's worth that risk."  
  
I actually considered staying for a moment, before I realized that absolutely nothing was worth harm to my friends. "You understand that I must leave. I have no choice." "Yes, I figured as much..." I nodded. "There is one final situation on my mind that I must ask you, however. Why are there only three pillars?" He chuckled. "The room beyond that gate houses the eras that are most important to you in the space-time continuum. If you see three, than you've got three things you have to worry about. For me, the whole floor is lit up. One last thing: When you do find them, you must either all enter the Gate at the same time, or you before them to prevent disaster." I bid him a quick goodbye, and set off for the pulsing pillars of light. I opened the old gate, and stepped into the first room once again. I was left in curiosity for a moment, but I quickly located a plaque on the floor in front of each of the pillars.  
  
On the far left, I read one as follows: "'Mystic Mountain' 65,000,000 B.C." I found this highly intriguing - according to my data banks, any form of human life within that age would have consisted of small, fur-bearing, prey animals. I understood that this was the age of lush jungles, large reptilian beasts, and hot, humid weather. If I went here, I would create an alternate timeline as the man had suggested. I did not, however, understand why this era would be important to me. The inscription to its right read: "'Proto Dome' 2300 A.D." I found this enticing until I remembered the wasteland of my world. Lastly, to its right, the final inscription lay. It read: "'Medina Village' 1000 A.D." I realized that this must have been the area Crono, Marle, and Lucca traveled to. I did not understand why they would have traveled to a village of the Mystics, an antagonistic, magic-oriented group that despised humans above all else...but I felt that at least Crono would know what he was doing. I had recently gained new respect for him. I stepped forward into the rift of space-time.  
  
It was quite different from the gates. I felt much more...comforted...at ease. I cannot describe it. But the familiar lurching sensation of suddenly increasing the rate of speed of the passage of time by several hundred thousand times remained. I once again felt as if I was falling in slow motion - floating and sinking. And, all at once, I felt something. A pair of firey eyes on me. Then gone. The spiritual energy. It was back! I scanned once again, trying to make out even an impression of a shadow of anything. None existed, and the energy was gone as quickly as it had come. As the black portal opened in front of me, I still could not understand the meaning. Why? Who was my hidden watcher? I did not know. The portal closed, and I tumbled out of a wooden cabinet to the floor. I now understood that I was down to minutes before I created an alternate universe and erased my own existence.  
  
I stood within a small cottage, apparantly owned by the two Imps now watching me. Imps are approximately 2.5 feet tall, have small, squinty eyes, and a two-sectioned cranium. As animal-like as they may have appeared, I knew they were just as or more intelligent than humans. I stood and faced them. "I apologize for the intrusion. Did you happen to observe..." The Imp pointed to the mountains to the west. I thanked him and left. Most likely, my human-like appearance disturbed them. I exited the hovel, and entered the fresh air. I heard a distant, eerie chanting in the distance, but I had no time for observing anything of the sort. When I later found a cave in the wall of the mountain, a group of three guards approached. They were all Henches. Henches are large, yellow-skinned, blue-armored, muscled beasts - not as intelligent as the Imps, but still intelligent enough for speech. As far as I remembered, Henches followed all orders exactly - not enough will to improvise - hence the name "Hench."  
  
Regardless, they approached me with fists clenched. "All enemies will perish!" I nodded. "My thoughts exactly." Very soon, with some "bargaining," I was inside. I entered the cave to find several fallen bodies - luckily none of which were my friends. At that moment, a loud rumble, a roar, and an explosion brought a vibration to the rock under my feet. I raced through the tunnel, now understanding that this was not the best of ideas. I located hurried speech far below. I knew, from scanning, that I would have a long hike ahead of me. I could not afford to wait. I activated Motor Node D, and my legs extended by approximately .76 feet. I leaped from the rock platform.  
  
I landed near the base of a waterfall, and my legs cushioned my landing and returned to their normal length. I entered a large cave. A dead beast lay on the rock, crackling with electricity. I quickly identified it as Heckran, one of General Ozzie's troops from the middle ages. Why he existed here, I wasn't sure. I heard echoing voices from far ahead. But as I ran forward, I could no longer hear them! Were they the way I had come? No, that was unlikely, for even as I drew near the entrance I still could not hear them. I stepped around Heckran once again, and noticed a glimmering mass of water ahead. It was approximately five feet across, and it glimmered white in a way that was unnatural. I stepped forward, curious. Scans turned negative. Simply water. But I saw something more. I bent down and swished my hand through the liquid. Almost immediately, I felt myself being drawn forward, and I felt an uneasiness almost as if I had entered a Gate. But I saw no Gate.  
  
If there had been a Gate, my fate would already be sealed. Suddenly, the uneasiness died away, and I felt a sucking sensation...  
  
Log Entry H Inactive.  
  
Log Entry I Active.  
  
Seawater. An interesting substance indeed - a high content of salt within the water, and yet filled with tiny organisms that had somehow managed to adapt. Unfortunately, I was not one of them. I found myself immobile, floating on my back in the water. Luckily for me, land was not 20 yards away, and I activated Motor Node E. My body moving automatically, I quickly reached a small beach and fell to the sand. I vented my internal casing, and approximately one gallon of seawater gushed to the sand from my internal systems. Almost immediately I stood, trying to locate my friends. I climbed up the beach, and luckily no civilians were in sight. I peered around. Warm sunshine, old cottages and cobblestone paths met my eyes. Laughing children played in the streets, and I heard merry music echoing from a town square in the north. Seagulls soared overhead, calling, and the sun shone off of a towering castle in the distance.  
  
I didn't belong, I knew that much. I was cold steel, originally designed for the very purpose of destroying all human intruders. As I scanned...there! The three of them, walking to one of the cottages. I ran through the warm morning air. A man turned to look at me in wonder. I understood that the kingdom of Truce had simple mechanics - stoves, refrigerators - but machines such as I had never even been dreamed of in fiction. And I also realized that I was now changing the course of history. My very being created hundreds of infinite paradoxes every moment. With the simple wave of a finger, I could create an alternate timeline. I needed to find my friends before I was witnessed further - there was always that slim chance that the future I had currently could become worse.  
  
I sprinted across healthy green grass, full of my newest emotion: adrenaline. Under diferent circumstances, the peaceful atmosphere might have compelled me to sit at that location, shut down systems, and begin my regeneration cycles then and there. But, as a side effect of my emotions, I couldn't allow myself to do so, no matter how much I needed rest. In fact, I activated Motor Node E and increased speed by 6%. I also took a second scan of my surroundings and discovered that I was just passing the residence they had entered. I followed immediately, nearly busting the door in my efforts to get inside. It was a fairly simple residence - an armchair lay to my right, upon which Lucca sat. To my left was a small kitchen, where Crono appeared to be introducing Marle to a woman of approximately 35. Neither Crono or Marle appeared to notice me, but Lucca turned, wide-eyed, to look at me. She gestured for me to approach, and she spoke in a hushed voice.  
  
"Robo? What...how...?" "The old man at the End of Time suggested I help you. I am here, should you require assistance." Lucca grinned. "Well, that's good - but then I suppose you met Heckran...?" "Affirmative - or at least what remained." "Yeah, Crono went a little psycho on the guy...oh well, he seems to be having fun." Suddenly, her grin was erased. "Wait a sec...how're you going to get back?" "As long as I enter a Gate before you, I will not be lost." "So the End of Time was pretty boring, huh?" I thought about her question, and what "boring" even referred to. "Yes," I said. "Yes, I WAS bored." I said it with a strange surge of pride that I could, in fact, admit such a thing - almost as if I was bragging. "Well then, you should meet Crono's mom - she's an interesting person..." Lucca gave a wink, and suggested I should approach Crono, Marle, and Crono's mother. And so I did.  
  
Lucca's mother caught sight of me, and nearly dropped the plate she was washing in surprise. "Goodness...! Lucca, is THIS one of your inventions?" I was slightly offended, but I fully understood. Lucca was really the only person during this time period who had even a partial knowledge of electronics. It made sense - she did not realize I was sentient anyway. I bowed and responded in the usual fashion: "Greetings. I am Robo. Crono is my friend." I knew that the more I said, the more I would change history and even Crono's life, so I kept it simple. Crono's mother smiled. "My, how polite! Strange looking, but well behaved! Crono, you could learn a thing or two." Crono slowly faded to beet red and said, "Yeah...well..." Marle burst out laughing. Crono's mother smirked slyly and turned back to her work.  
  
Crono, Marle, and Crono's mother continued conversing, and I joined Lucca at the armchair. I discussed with her what I had learned at the End of Time, and she told me of a previous adventure of theirs - just hours before I had been activated - involving an abandoned dome in 2300 AD that housed the information center in which the Director had been killed. There, they had discovered a video record of the Day of Lavos, and I told her where I was during that moment. I did not tell her what I was doing, and I did not once mention Atropos. Lucca did tell me of Geno Dome's appearance after the blast - dented and destroyed, but more intact that the others. In return, I explained to her what had happened which led to that, and why it happened. At that particular moment, I felt a furry warmth against my leg, and looked to discover Crono's cat slinking along near my right foot. I knelt, and put my hand just above it, as if asking permision.  
  
The feline's golden-brown tail began wriggling furiously in anticipation, and I brought by hand to touch the "sweet spot" I remembered just behind the ears, and gave a gentle and steady scratch in a semi- circular motion. It purred in deep satisfaction, and I pondered upon the fact that I, comprised of steel and electric charges, had just gained the trust and complete approval of a creature simply by knowing where to put my fingers. And was it not the same in my own time of 1998? Was it not so that machines became so intelligent that they knew exactly what to prod and what to move so that they would gain the complete trust and approval of humankind? And then did they not take advantage of that situation in 2300 AD when Geno's Mother Brain destroyed half of what remained of them all? Was it not survival of the fittest? And weren't androids, including myself, those that decided exactly what the future of the humans would be? Exactly what we would do with that "burden," simply by pushing in a certain direction??  
  
I jerked my fingers away from the cat's fuzzy ears.  
  
Log Entry I Inactive 


End file.
